Mister Memory

A Novel

by Marcus Sedgwick

This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.

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Pub Date Mar 07 2017 | Archive Date Feb 28 2017

Pegasus Books

General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers

Description

In Paris in the year 1899, Marcel Després is arrested for the murder of his wife and transferred to the famous Salpetriere Asylum. And there the story might have stopped. But the doctor assigned to his care soon realizes this is no ordinary patient: Marcel Després, Mister Memory, is a man who cannot forget. And the policeman assigned to his case soon realizes that something else is at stake: For why else would the criminal have been hurried off to hospital, and why are his superiors so keen for the whole affair to be closed? This crime involves something bigger and stranger than a lovers' fight, something with links to the highest and lowest establishments in France. The policeman and the doctor between them must unravel the mystery—but the answers lie inside Marcel's head. And how can he tell what is significant when he remembers every detail of every moment of his entire life? For fans of Scarlett Thomas, Carlos Ruiz Zafon and Patrick Suskind, this is a captivating literary mystery about memory, history and fate.

Advance Praise

"Fin de siècle Paris provides the backdrop for this outstanding thriller from Sedgwick (A Love like Blood), who creates a sense of intimacy with the reader through darkly humorous omniscient narration reminiscent of Dumas....Petit’s quest for the truth behind Ondine’s murder coincides with the efforts of Dr. Lucien Morel, an alienist at Salpêtrière, to understand Marcel’s phenomenal gift. Sedgwick thoughtfully explores fundamental questions about the relationship of memory and identity." - Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"Fin de siècle Paris provides the backdrop for this outstanding thriller from Sedgwick (A Love like Blood), who creates a sense of intimacy with the reader through darkly humorous omniscient...

Available Editions

EDITION	Other Format
ISBN	9781681773407
PRICE	$25.95 (USD)
PAGES	336

Additional Information

Average rating from 11 members

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Featured Reviews

Librarian 3792

At the heart of this marvelous tale we are introduced to Marcel Després. Marcel remembers every detail of every day of his life. Every detail. So why are the details of the murder of his wife different than the details of the police reports? After all, he should remember, he was the shooter. Why did the Prefect have Marcel moved to the asylum? He admitted to the shooting. He should be going to the guillotine or at least to one of the prison islands to spend his life doing ‘hard time’ and die there.
Wow! This is a very complex tapestry using many threads to complete the whole story. Often you may wonder where each thread is leading. As you wonder about these threads, you suddenly realize they have wrapped you up so tightly you cannot put the book down until you can stand back and see the entire tapestry his words have created. This novel is a literary wonder of suspense that will take you back to the bawdy, wild days of Paris at the turn of the 19th century. I would highly recommend this book to any reader who loves a deep detailed suspense. Sedgwick has authored several titles for teens. He is the winner of YALSA’s 2014 Printz Award for Midwinterblood. This title would be appropriate for the older teens or New Adult. If you have teens who are more mature and tend to read up this might just fit the bill for them. There is a reason this is for adult readers.

I want to thank the publishers for generously providing this title through NetGalley and Edelweiss for my honest review.

ISBN: 9781681773407 PUB: Pegasus Books Book BD: 03/07/2017