Hank Davies, is a small town postman from Bethlem, Nevada. During a postal round whilst pondering life in this small town with his wife, Iris, Hank trips on the sidewalk and a few letters fall out of his mailbag, thus sets Hank on a spiral of events that has him questioning his entire reality.

Starting off with one POV, it shifts to include journal entries and letters from others, making it all blend together. The narrators did a fantastic job of keeping me engrossed and portraying the characters feelings throughout.
Very Truman show/Black Mirror coded, and ultimately left me feeling slightly disappointed at the ending, but only because I thought it would of pieced it all together for me by the conclusion.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book. Wasn't for me. I did it on audio, and I'm not sure if that made it a better or worse experience. The summary was giving Wayward Pines vibes, but the story didn't deliver for me.

The pacing was off. The twist was mostly expected (even if I didn't predict the exact details). The character delivery on most of them was so flat that the vibes were off from the beginning. I felt like with that much foreshadowing, the twist should have been more mindblowing.

Oh well. You win some, you lose some.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing an advanced copy for an honest review.

This book was such a wild ride. The Memory Ward starts off feeling like a quiet small-town story, but things get weird fast—in the best way. Hank, this seemingly normal postal worker, starts realizing something’s off when the letters he delivers are just blank. Then someone shows up and tells him to check his wall. That’s when things really spiral, and you’re not sure what’s real and what’s in his head.

It’s one of those psychological thrillers that messes with your mind a little. I loved how you’re constantly second-guessing everything. It’s eerie, emotional, and just a little bit trippy. Definitely not your typical mystery—it’s more unsettling and atmospheric. If you like stories that are a bit off the beaten path and make you think, give this one a shot.

This was an interesting story, comparable to The Truman Show, The Stepford Wives, The Pines. Small town but nothing is as it seems.

Interesting concept but sadly I guessed the ending at the halfway point and wasnt able to be surprised by much more. I think the audiobook was well spoken and the variation in voices was well used

Pre-Read Notes:

I like stories about memory so this title was like a fish hook in my brain. The similarities to The Stepford Wives is impossible to ignore, but I would say rather that this older work is an influence, rather than this book being a retelling.

"...[T]here were times that it seemed that I didn't know him at all. I would stare at his thick and hairy hands, and imagine them holding that poor girl underwater, while she violently slapped the porcelain tub. Then I would feel ashamed."

Final Review

My 3 Favorite Things:

✔️ This is a story similar in concept to Stepford Wives, which is scary as heck. This one is suspenseful and weird in ways that make it distinctive.

✔️ I like these kinds of stories, in which someone seems different in a threatening way, but the explanation is obfuscated to create suspense and mystery for the readers. It can be such a window into human nature. It's almost a scifi trope and it works very well in many different genres.

✔️ I think this is a good example of an execution of the unreliable narrator that maximizes their vulnerability. Why can't we trust them? What if we can't trust the reason we get for our mistrust? It creates a heavy tension between reality and perception.


Notes:

1. content notes: gaslighting, dopplegangers, domestic violence, emotional abuse, human experimentation, matricide, gr_pe (off-page, brief description), paranoia, amnesia

Thank you to the author Jon Bassoff, Blackstone Publishing, and NetGalley for an advance audiobook copy of THE MEMORY WARD. All views are mine.

🧠✨ What in the world did I just read?!
Jon Bassoff’s THE MEMORY WARD is a straight-up Black Mirror-meets-The Truman Show HEAD TRIP — and I mean that in the BEST way possible. Imagine Pleasantville, The Stepford Wives, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers all sat down and plotted a psychological thriller together… yeah, it’s THAT wild. 🤯

🌀 This book is a fast-paced, twisty mind-bender that asks:
👉 Who are we without our memories?
👉 Can grief warp your reality?
👉 And what actually happened on October 23rd, 2011?! 😳

🎧 The audiobook? Chef’s kiss. Bronson Pinchot, Dawn Harvey, and Janina Edwards serve up performances so eerie and nuanced, you’ll be checking your own wallpaper. 📻 Highly, highly recommend the audio for maximum chills!

💭 The ending? Sublime. Unsettling. Made me question reality — the best kind of brain fog. Honestly, if this isn’t adapted into a film soon, we riot.

A book about taking away criminals' memories and giving them new lives. The story was ok, but not my genre. I didn't really enjoy it.

Bethlam, Nevada is a wonderful place to live. The people are friendly and there’s no crime. Life is perfect. That is, until, a few residents begin to realise that not everything is as it seems and there might be something deeper behind the picture-perfect town.

I won’t lie. After the first couple of chapters, I believed that I wasn’t going to make it through the entire book. I thought this was going to be a read that fell flat for me and wouldn’t hold my attention.

However, I was happily wrong. I soon felt sucked into the mystery and I couldn’t help but want to stay tuned so I could unravel it all. There was truly so much to unpack.

This book gave me Don’t Worry Darling vibes and while it didn’t end up being the same, I loved that it had a similar atmosphere.

I think it’s fantastic that there were multiple narrators to help convey the story.

I would check out more works by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing me with this audiobook. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is one of those stories that keeps subverting your expectations. The deeper you get in to the story, the more you become unsure of what to expect. That makes for an exciting read. There is a general sense of unease from the beginning that really amps up in the third act. While there are hints from the beginning, the twist is still a surprise. The narrators did an excellent job relaying the confusion in an entertaining manner.

A gripping psychological thriller with an unreliable narrator, I always knew there was more behind the scenes so when the plot twist happened I was left a little speechless...it wasn't what I was guessing! Overall I enjoyed the story but I did feel like the audiobook quality had some rough moments to it. The narrators did a great job though, and I enjoyed the book.

Thank you Blackstone for the gifted ALC.

This was so good I was on the edge of my seat with needing to k ow more and I couldn’t stop reading it

I just finished The Memory Ward by Jon Bassoff, and to say I’m confused would be an understatement—in the best way possible. This was one of the most unique and twist-filled plots I’ve come across in a while. I listened to the audiobook version, and while I enjoyed it overall, I do think it made it a bit harder to catch all the subtle clues than if I had read a physical or digital copy.

There were a few audio quality issues—some chapters were crystal clear while others sounded slightly grainy or muffled. Still, the narrators did a great job of distinguishing the characters and bringing the eerie atmosphere to life.

This is definitely a story that plays with reality and leaves plenty open to interpretation. If you enjoy unreliable narrators and like finishing a book with more questions than answers, this one might be right up your alley. I’d love to hear what others thought of this one—because I’m still trying to wrap my head around it!

This was really interesting. It was super creepy and kept me guessing the whole time.

Its hard to review this without spoiling too much, but I think going in pretty blind is a good idea. I read somewhere that this was kind of like a creepier Truman Show, and I think that's a pretty good description.

Unfortunately, the sound quality was pretty low on this audiobook. There was a strange tinny sound the entire book that was distracting and took from the story.

I think the story itself was interesting and I love books dealing with mental health. I also enjoyed the unreliable narrator and the since of unease the story created.

Jon Bassoff crafts an eerie, atmospheric tale that blurs the line between reality and delusion. The setup is intriguing—blank letters, unsettling neighbors, and a town too perfect to be real. The novel pulls you in like a fever dream, with clues tucked behind wallpaper and creeping paranoia at every turn. While the premise is compelling and the writing often lyrical, the story sometimes gets lost in its own haze. Themes of identity and trauma are present but don’t always land with clarity. An interesting, unsettling read—but not quite as memorable as it wants to be.

I listened to The Memory Ward on audio, and I thought it was interesting and insane all at once. The narrator did a phenomenal job with this. The end made it worth it but it was a bit of journey to get to the final destination.

This is one where you’re wondering if our MC is unreliable or not. It kind of gave me Wayward Pines vibes but I don’t want to say anything that will give it away. Thanks to Blackstone Publishing for my audiobook!

This was an interesting ride. A bit slow in parts but a good premise.

Walter Daly grows up in an idyllic town called Bethlam, Nevada. Life is good until it seems weird. Walter sees some odd things, people seem to be watching him. Walter's memories seem blurred.

I enjoyed the characters, set up and story. This gives Truman Show Vibes. I would read more from this author.

The audio was my preferred method of ingesting this novel. Atmospheric and creepy it was a great slow burn thriller. The narrators do a great job telling this story and making it come to life.

Brief synopsis: Hank is a postal worker in the Pleasantville-esque town of Bethlam, Nevada. One day he realizes all the the letters he delivers are blank. Soon after, he starts noticing other unusual things and people in the town. The Memory Ward is Truman Show meets Don't Worry Darling—but with a twist not given away by either of those comparisons.

The Memory Ward takes us down a rabbit hole of stories within stories within letters within memories within a whole separate spinoff. Fortunately I had an easy time keeping track of all the characters and narratives, which is truly surprising, but Bassoff did an amazing job giving each character a distinct voice and identity.

The ending surprised me, which is why I rounded my rating up to four stars, but the journey there was a *little* tedious. I wanted more answers, more of a glimpse into the world outside of Bethlam, but I did really enjoy listening to this unique story. I personally feel like it's more sci-fi/speculative fiction than horror, so make sure you're in the mood for that if you pick this up.

As for the audiobook? It's one of the best audio productions I've ever listened to. Bronson Pinchot is an incredible narrator. I'll be looking for more of his performances to listen to.

Thriller readers, pick up The Memory Ward by Jon Bassoff. This was a good audiobook and it's available now.

I absolutely refuse to write a real review for this book because literally anything I say could ruin the surprise.

But if you like stories with unreliable narrators and potentially less than conclusive endings, this is one for you.

I loved it.