This creative exploration of a world in which the Qin Empire (China) has achieved geopolitical dominance through its Mindbank technology, a device that can record memories and instantaneously share them between minds. In a world where memories can be monitored, edited, and deleted, what does it mean to remember history, whether personal or collective?

The structure is innovative and fragmentary, framed as an unnamed narrator shares the subversive memories that his mother passed on to him after her death. There are stories of the quarantines enforced during the Chrysanthemum Virus, the fraught nature of movie-making (Memory Epics) in an environment of censorship, an armless swimmer, the reversal of fortunes via war, and Kaveh Akbar’s poetry provoking the Gaokao examiners. Throughout, themes of surveillance, authoritarianism, weaponizing fear, storytelling, and remembrance pervade the text. I was fascinated by the narrator as an reluctant rebel, how his mother’s gift sealed his fate, and his decision to release her Mindbank to the public.

“In my mother’s stories, many of the protagonists too were unwillingly thrust into their moments of resistance,” the narrator reflects. “Often they pushed back, not out of moral clarity or courage but because the world had abandoned them, leaving them no choice but to rebel. Tell me, if you were driven to the brink, wouldn’t you feel compelled to resist, too?”

The full-cast narration is spectacular. It’s not the easiest book to read on audio since the connections between the stories are not always immediately obvious, so I would only attempt it on audio if you’re already a comfortable audiobook listener, but it’s a treat.

For readers who enjoyed Minsoo Kang’s THE MELANCHOLY OF UNTOLD HISTORY or Sequoia Nagamatsu’s HOW HIGH WE GO IN THE DARK, this “constellation novel” (my first exposure to that term—I like it!) has similar vibes of opening up expansive meditations through speculative premises and non-linear structures. Loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an audio copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This was such a unique audiobook but I did not enjoy it as much as I was hoping; I struggled to follow along with the disjointed short stories. Because of that, I did not finish it and unfortunately, will not be recommending it to patrons. 1 out of 5 stars.

This was so good. Ugh. I would never share my memories with anyone but here we are in this book sharing our memories with the state and everyone else.
I loved the narrators. I loved all the different perspectives. I loved the world building.

A story of banned memories in a sci fi world where memories are shared.
It had a lot of cool elements but for some reason it never hooked me.
What was going on was mildly interesting but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

3.5 stars

I really enjoyed this sci-fi novel about a world in which memories can be uploaded into memory banks that people can download and view. This is told from multiple POVs as different characters relive past memories. It reads like a series of interconnected stories and some hit more than others but standouts for me were the swimmer with no arms, the sumo wrestler and the woman who made her husband relive her birth experience. Great on audio with a full cast of narrators, this might not be a book for everyone but I found it refreshingly unique and clever. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest thoughts. This was my first time reading anything by Canadian author Yiming Ma!

*Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Audio for early copy for review*

So I listened to the audiobook for this and that is wag this should be read. This is a series of short stories connected by an overarching narrative and I really enjoyed it. Having so many narrators to tell the different short stories, or memories, was such an incredible idea. With short story collections there's always ones I enjoy more than the rest, but this format made of enjoyable listen throughout the experience.

This had an intriguing premise that held my attention, but I would have preferred a complete, continuous story rather than a series of related short stories. I’d love to see a follow-up that further expands on this world.

Thank you, NetGalley and Harper Audio for allowing me to read this book early. The opinion in this review is my own.

This book has such an interesting premise. People can share their memories directly and a man inherits his mother's memories but much of what she leaves behind is illegal to remember or share. What happens when what you're allowed to remember and what memories you're allowed to share is regulated?

There were many narrators to help differentiate the multiple POVs. Each narrator suited the character well. There were a few I liked more than others but that's to be expected with so many choices. Overall the quality of the audiobook was exceptional.

I thought I was going to like it more but unfortunately it didn't quite work for me. The pacing was quite slow and hard to get into. It did remind me of Cloud Atlas in the fact that it's like many stories in one. There were so many memories shared from different POVs that I had a hard time figuring out how they all connected. After a few different chapters I started to lose interest.

On a positive side the writing was well done. The dialogue suited the mood depending on the POV you were reading from. It was thought provoking. It gave 1984 and memory police vibes. The world was interesting and this was an interesting spin

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. 4.5 stars, rounded up.

TL;DR: if you're looking for a character focused story with a lot of intermixed pieces that's really more mosaic than story, you will love this. The writing is lovely and while I'm left with more questions at the end, I also am left with a resounding sense of reflection.

This is a story that doesn't totally make sense. There is one narrator weaving together banned memories his mother left him when she passed away in a dystopian future, and he states early on that he's sharing them with us, the reader, in an attempt to ensure they remain. The rest of the tale is a character focused mosaic of stories that are loosely interconnected about this dystopian future.

The coolest part of this book is that you discover the world of the story, instead of being told about it. Each vignette of a story gives you a bit more detail and a bit more to consider. There are real world issues worked into the story (and parts of it brought me anxiety) but it feels more like an exploration than a fully fledged novel.

And lots of people won't enjoy that aspect, so bare in mind this isn't for everyone. I was left with questions and some odd feelings, which kept me from rating this a solid 5. Still, the stories and the way it's written is unique and lovely and I don't know that I've ever read anything quite like it, and I found it enjoyable for that reason alone. Add in an intriguing dystopian future and some solid characters, and I was hooked!

3.75 rounded-up to a 4. Starting out the novel gives a strong cyber-punk vibes mixed with 1984 & Cloud Atlas. '84 with the surveillance state aspects & Cloud Atlas with the multiple interlocking stories. The rotations of the stories though engaging at times are thrown off by the timeline hops. Bouncing between a pre-war story, pandemic, post-war and so forth left me feeling a bit disjointed in the narrative.

I did enjoy the book though. It contains many of the elements of what I'm drawn to; Sci-fi, dystopia & resistance through stories/memories.

2.5 stars

I really liked the premise of this book. It reminded me a little of Nikki Erlick's, dystopic yet the story focuses on the people and the society and not so much about the politics. The execution of the story didn't captivate me as I hoped it would. The individual stories are good, inspiring, heartwarming even, but it lingered too much on the armless swimmer, the sumo wrestler, etc., and it got repetitive and boring to me. The characters also started to pontificate on their last chapters. I understand where they're coming from, but it read like a proverb or a lesson almost.

The narrators were ok, but their reading is almost text bookish. You can hear that they're playing a part instead of letting the characters speak through them. I hope that makes sense.

While I really enjoyed the concept for this story, I never really connected to any of the main characters which left me disappointed. I did listen to the audio and the narration was well done.

This one ended up being everything I wanted it to be! I love interconnected short stories and figuring out how these clicked together was just delicious. The worldbuilding is so much showing and not telling and the short story format within the novel lays it all like puzzle pieces. I was so excited when I saw the full cast list (just look at the narrators!) and this one definitely is one that deserved that. Overall a great, smart and intriguing reading experience.

Dystopian vignettes combine to create a compelling story about what changes about family and humanity, when everything is being logged, and there are fewer invisible places to hide. Overall a thrilling read, one that will have you thinking about it for days after you finish.

4.5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 Rounded up to 🖐️ Wow, I really am speechless. I can see and understand the comparison I’ve read between this book and Cloud Atlas, although I’ve only seen the film of Cloud Atlas.

This is unlike any book/audiobook I have ever read.

In a futuristic world where a renamed China is the global superpower, the collective history is being controlled by an innovative technology called mind banks. With mind banks, an implantable device within each person, allows memories to be saved, revisited, shared and ultimately government controlled and manipulated to fit its narrative. Knowledge is controlled and people are allowed more access to other’s memories based upon their social status and fealty to their government. Memories are bartered, sold, & inherited; they are used as their own form of currency. Memories not conducive to a subdued, non reactive population are wiped and lost to history forever.

Our story begins with an unnamed narrator who has just lost his mother. Upon her death he has inherited her mind bank, which showed up immediately within his mind to open and explore. Once opened he quickly realizes that he is now in possession of memories considered illegal. Faced with his looming inheritance review with governmental guards, in what he believes will be his first and last act of rebellion, he decides to upload his mother’s memories to a cloud and give access to whoever wants to risk accessing them.

Throughout the book we explore memories spanning a multitude of times prior to and after the war. Each memory you read about is one of several illegal memories within his mother’s mind bank. The whole time listening to this audiobook I was trying to understand what made each memory illegal. WHAT was it about THAT memory that the government did not like.

Between this book’s pages we explore themes of mass annihilation of peoples, war, governmental control & media manipulation, duty to one’s country and family, corruption, and oppression. Mix that together with unforgettable memories of love, perseverance, and sacrifice.

This book is one of those unforgettable memories of mine that I will revisit and chew on for many days ahead.
👏👏👏👏to the Author for this amazing book! 👏👏👏👏To the narrators (all 14, I believe, of them) you all did an outstanding job conveying the emotional depth of each piece.

Thank you so much to the Author, NetGalley, and HarperAudio Adult for the opportunity to listen and review this ALC 🎧 These are my true and honest thoughts.

Goodreads review 7/6, Tiktok will be pubished 7/14 and again 8/12

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio for this advanced listening copy of "These Memories Do Not Belong to Us - A Constellation Novel" by Yiming Ma. I appreciate the opportunity to share my thoughts on this story.

Out of the gate, this had strong 'cyberpunk' vibes with the collision of technology, corporations, and the government but quickly became much more 'realistic' than what that genre usually elects. The adoption of technology as a tool of control (by company or government) is relatable as it permeates so much of the modern era. Seeing the slow creep of privacy invasion and the 'death by a thousand papercuts' was incredibly well handled as we got to see various characters give up more of this freedom in stages. I appreciate how intricately the stories were woven together and how the loss of individuality was not a thief in the night but a steady, unyielding entity. While it makes perfect since in this universe, the initial mention of selling memories was at first shocking but as the story progressed, the idea of memories as dowry and even inheritance felt expected. In less than 6 listening hours, I too came to understand how much memories could be worth, especially when simply having the 'wrong' one could be disastrous to one's career, social status, or life.

I would recommend this book to cyberpunk/sci-fi / history fans for a fresh look at a what could be.

4.5 stars rounded up for a ratings boost!

Wow. This is a powerful book with a powerful message. The journey to get to that message is a winding roads with amazing 10 star chapters and a few much less enjoyable parts that felt like fodder instead of necessary information. About halfway through I was struggling to keep reading, but at a certain point when things start to fit together and the puzzle becomes clearer, I was BLOWN AWAY. And it made up for all the confusion. So, this is definitely worth the rollar coaster! But well worth every turn. You should read this one for sure! Also, it says you can read the chapters in any order and for the next time I read this (because there WILL be a next time) I am going to mix it up. I think that will make it even more interesting!

Special thanks to NetGalley and HarperAudio for this ARC!! I enjoyed this book so very much and treasured the opportunity to savor it early!

Off the bat, the plot is giving modern 1984 vibes, but with aspects of current society that should seem familiar to readers like a pandemic, escalating conflicts between nations, and censorship by ruling parties. Whereas, 1984 had Big Brother always watching, the Mind Banks that every Qin citizen is mandated to have does that for the government. Mind banks are not just a tool for government control, but entertainment for the people. It allows citizens to transfer memories from one user to another and also user can upload memory epics they purchased for consumption.

The story begins with a son who is left with inheritance from his dead mother, where he uncovers a series of memories that have not been touched by the censors yet and allow him to see more than the Qin government wants him too. He must come to his own decision before the government comes for him, which is inevitable.

The rotation of narrators really added to the story, it would have felt too on the nose from 1984 without the range of voices the author included. We hear from civilians who lived before mind banks and some after. Some narrators invoke an eerie tones at time like a creepy Disney ride as individuals buckle in for a mind epic. We experience some individuals go through the mind games that the censors inflict to get history how they want it and the loss of individuality that costs the user.

While the story was engaging at times, the pacing really dragged it down. We go back and forth between before the war and after to see the dichotomy of life. It was not always clear where we were in each of those time period from one chapter to another, merely before or after. More clarity could have helped tie the varying stories together - where the narrator in the first memory comes back in other memories but was hard to piece together.

Regardless it is a reminder of the different forms of resistance that we can action in an oppressive society. I just wanted more innovation with the story that had been notably done and more consistent pacing.

I like the premise of this and parts of the story were done really well. The narration was excellent! I struggled a bit with the structure and being able to connect the chapters. At times, it felt disjointed. I don’t really feel satisfied with the ending, but I think this would be a good book for a strong book club or for use in academia, as it really would benefit from follow up discussion and analysis.

4.2, rounded for Goodreads

In a dystopian future wherein China is the world’s leading and only super power, we start off learning about an inheritance the main narrator receives from his recently deceased mother. Except it’s not any sort of tangible goods. And it’s not today’s world out there (or is it in some respects…?). He’s received a series of memories from her, believed to be highly illegal for him to even possess in one’s oft surveilled mindbank, and the clock is ticking on him being found out. What is a person to do? Why were these stories given to him? What do they mean? Why would these have been censored? With this overarching thread tying these memories together, we begin diving in to these short story memory episodes, causing us to question what is so sensationalist about these stories that they’re that dangerous to possess.

This book tackled its themes the best. It’s quite a short read/listen, but it packs a punch in making you think. And while it’s set in the “far-off future,” I think it’s especially thematic in many ways to today, because the allure of power and control is ever present. Perhaps that makes these themes ever-relevant. Some of the short stories show corruption and ethical degradation outright, while others feature this more subtly, showing how propaganda has seeped into the culture and education systems, bleeding into the beliefs of many common folk. Though throughout our short stories, in addition to the quite dissidence of the everyday man, I do see nuggets of hope, forgiveness, and encouragement to fight for beauty, for loved ones, for more.

I could have done without the hard-hitting final message of the book, after the final memory episode. I think the author got caught up in making sure we got the point of the book in the end, leading to the breaking the fourth wall, and talking directly to those listening (of the mindbank memories, which in this case is us the reader/listener). I understand wanting to drive the point home, though I feel like it was too hit-you-over-the-head. I would have opted for more subtlety, allowing for the questions to be asked and answered more organically, and therefore with more impact.

The audiobook listening experience: this featured a great ensemble cast. the book being narrated this way was very helpful going from one short story to the next. The voice actors showed their emotions and acted out the lines well. One of the voice actors has a barely perceptible lisp, but it did not take away from the experience at all.

There was no shortage of valuable quotes in here. I could see myself tackling this book again, next time on kindle or a physical book so I can highlight all the easier.

Special thanks to the author Yiming Ma, Mariner Books, and Netgalley for a copy of the audio to listen to and review. All opinions are my own.