Well, this was something a little different. We are in a world where death is no longer as final as once it was. It is a life where, if you can afford it, and are suitable, you can employ a heaven architect who will create you a heaven from your carefully selected memories, for your psyche to live on in after your body is gone. You can include people too, as long as they give consent.
Isobel is one such heaven architect and her job is to talk to clients who are either near to death or in employment that could be life shortening. She is top of her game and highly sort after as she really does a good job of compassionately coaxing out the memories that people want to relive in their afterlife. That is until one day when she meets a new client, Jarek. Terminally ill, he hasn't long to go but Isobel falls hard for him, even though he is married. Breaking every rule in the book they embark on a short affair as she works on his heaven. The inevitable happens and Jarek dies but, not long after his death, Isobel is shocked to find out that he is the main suspect in the murder of his wife and the police are wanting access to his heaven so that they can investigate post-mortem. And so begins a tangle of legal and ethical concerns as privacy laws continue on after death. Giving characters and readers alike quite a lot to think about.
I am not sure whether the fact that I am relatively new to the sci-fi genre impacted on my enjoyment of the book, Certainly the whole sciency part of things was beyond me at times and did struggle with some of the technical aspects somewhat. But that aside, I thought the main storyline was compelling and kept me going as I glossed over the bits I didn't understand. I also wasn't completely convinced by Isobel and Jarek's relationship although I was willing to accept it again for the sake of the rest of the story. I mean, would a lady of Isobel's obvious intelligence really throw away her professional credibility for a bit of rumpy with a fit chiselled dude who is about to die?! But I guess common sense flies away when lust enters the room.
I did enjoy the moral and ethical parts of the book and thought that they were dealt with very well. I do find it interesting that the rate that technology grows these days eclipses the legal side of things quite often and feel that, in real life, the law is having to play catch-up quite a bit, sometimes with interesting repercussions.
Anyway, morals and ethics aside for a moment, what happened next was eye opening and, the science aside, really satisfying. In the final third of the book, the author ran the whole gamut of emotions very well and left me with a satisfying, albeit shocking, ending. I did enjoy the merging of genres within the book but, for me, the sci-fi element was a little on the heavy side but that's just down to my own personal taste. That said, it was a book that I was still thinking abut for several days after finishing it.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This is a very intriguing book which is mainly a sci-fi story but also has a crime thriller element later in the book.
Isobel is a Heaven Architect which means she helps create a series of images, memories, feelings for people to take with them when they die.
It’s not clear what year this book is set in but you get the impression that it’s set far into the future as religion and people’s beliefs in life after death are hardly mentioned.
Isobel takes on a new client, Jarek, and there’s an instant attraction there. The only problem is that he is dying of a brain tumour and only has weeks to live.
Something then happens which turns Isobel’s life upside down and there’s only a couple of people she can truly trust.
This is a gripping read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus books for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Firstly, thanks to NetGalley, Quercus books and Holly Cave for the opportunity to preview this fabulous read.

This is a book I would ordinarily never have chosen, but, that would have been my loss as I loved it!

I was drawn by the description "you are going to die. You can preserve a handful of special memories for ever. Which ones do you choose?"
However, it's so much more than this description. The writing is almost like poetry in places, so beautifully written. Then, there are the relationships, complexity of moral judgements and murder! It's got it all.

One of those books that has left me stunned and unable, immediately after reading, to even think about starting another.

Review goes live on the blog on Feb 16 and will show up on Goodreads sometime later.

In a Flutter: Twisty and tense
Fluttering Thoughts:
Worldbuilding: The futuristic setting was a mix of London and India. The world is more tech-advanced – chip implants, codex, virtual second lives – it’s a cool world that I wouldn’t exactly call Sci-Fi since it’s so alike ours.
Characters: Isobel is a Heaven Architect. It’s a very interesting yet trying job. She struggles with moral and personal dilemmas, with her own fears and desires. She’s a very authentic and easy to empathize with character; she’s also smart, plagued by doubts – always a plus for me, I loved tortured characters! -, has some OCD tendencies, and tries to hide her vulnerabilities.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about Jarek and the whole thing was pretty heartbreaking for a bit there, and then it was something else too, and then a lot more heartbreaking.
Plot: The romance arc which ended in a bittersweet almost-ending was pretty gripping and romantic, doomed as it was – and yet, as we learn later on, this is barely scratching the surface of the real heartbreak to come. The mystery of who killed Sarah and the concept of the Heavens and rules to regulate them (and access to and into them) made for very engaging reading.
Writing: First person, present tense narrative, Isobel’s POV. I found her voice to be interesting and charismatic.
Curb Appeal: Really cool cover, hooking blurb – impulsive buy material for my thrillery moods.

I recommend The Memory Chamber to fans of twisty mysteries set in futuristic worlds riddled with moral dilemmas and layered characters.

I have no idea how to review this book it is totally original and I don't want to give much away.It is a very interesting idea creating a perfect Heaven ,tailor made for each individual set in the future and following a Heaven Architect .Where do writers get their ideas from? I do love writers who think outside the box, and this one certainly does, I love the originality and the story wasn't bad either.I am really struggling to describe the book and can only say if you are looking for some thing really different and you can suspend your disbelief you have found the right book.Thanks go to the Publishers and Netgalley for an ARC.

The Memory Chamber is a novel that I first heard about late last year, and is one that I was instantly intrigued by, so I was delighted when my request to review this novel via Netgalley was approved.

True death is a thing of the past. Now you can spend the rest of eternity re-living your happiest memories: that first kiss, falling in love, the birth of your children, enjoyed on loop for ever and ever.

Isobel is a Heaven Architect, and she helps dying people create afterlives from these memories. So when she falls for Jarek, one of her terminal – and married – clients, she knows that while she cannot save him, she can create the most beautiful of heavens, just for him.

But when Jarek's wife is found dead, Isobel uncovers a darker side of the world she works within, and she can trust no one with what she finds...

The Memory Chamber is set in a slightly futuristic world where many technological advancements and scientific breakthroughs have been made. Many diseases, including malaria, have been eradicated, and everyone has a chip implanted which allows for the payment of goods and services, allows for communication with others etc.. The development of Heaven Architecture is another way in which technology is utilised – the idea being that at the point of death, a small number of cells, which take a little longer to die than the rest of you, are kept alive and “plugged in” to your personally designed heaven, allowing you to live out a selection of handpicked memories forever. Now, if you’re not hugely into science fiction, don’t let this put you off. The idea is presented simply, and the how behind all of this is touched upon, but there’s no heavy science to get your head around.

Isobel is the novel’s protagonist, and one the best Heaven Architects that there is. The novel opens as she first meets her latest client, Jarek, and in this way Cave can deftly explain the concept of the bespoke heavens, explaining to both Jarek and the reader at the same time. Isobel is an interesting character – slightly neurotic but likeable, and entirely believable. From their very first meeting, Isobel is attracted to Jarek – a feeling that is clearly mutual. It’s unusual for Isobel to have a client that is so young – heavens tend to be created when the end is nigh, and Jarek, terminally ill with a brain tumour, is in his prime. I think that her feelings are enhanced by the sympathy she has for Jarek and his situation:
"The unfairness of death is something I've thought more about, lately."

Whilst Isobel loves her job, she is aware that the system is flawed, and I enjoyed the moral debate surrounding Heaven Architecture, from the protesters camped outside of the building Isobel works in, to Isobel’s own views on what she does. Building a heaven for someone isn’t cheap and is therefore exclusively available to those that can afford to pay for the service. And whilst the use of a person’s memories may seem straightforward, there’s the question of whether other people involved in a memory should have to consent to appear in someone else’s heaven. The inclusion of the moral dilemma makes this a thought-provoking read, and I think that book groups will get a lot out of The Memory Chamber.

I don’t want to discuss the plot in any detail – I think that the blurb above gives sufficient detail, and to say more would give away too much. But whilst it's not a fast-paced novel, I didn’t want to put The Memory Chamber down. The writing is sumptuous, and if it was more of a slow-burner than some novels, there is an underlying tension from the expectation of something about to happen, and this is a thoroughly compelling read that I’d recommend to those looking for something a little different, as this is utterly unique.

The Memory Chamber will be published on 22 February by Quercus. Many thanks to the publisher for approving my request to read and review this title via Netgalley.

Imagine being able to design your heaven and that to be in place when you die? That’s the basis of the book...although The heaven architect falls for a dying client with dramatic consequences! An interesting premise and a good read!

Excellent book. Brilliant story and I loved the main characters. I would highly recommend this book.

Imagine a future where you know there is a heaven and you know you can get to it even designing it yourself, created from all of your happy memories. That's what Isobel does. A heaven architect creating people's life after death.

This had much of a futuristic sci fi theme and I feel like I expected something more. It is a brilliant original concept but I felt the characters were lacking and unlikable.

I liked the way the creation of heaven was described and the information given on how this was achieved. It was a clever book that just needed some more depth to the characters in my opinion.

This is a real thought provoking book - I read this within a couple of days but it really made me think - would I really want to live forever albeit in a digitally created world.....

The book follows Isobel who is a Heaven Architect. She falls for one of her clients and has a deep love affair with him and then as predicted he dies but he dies suddenly. Not only does he die suddenly so does his wife.

All is not as it seems, without giving spoilers away I can't go into too much detail. However, this book really made me think and think hard. The books topic of a digitally created heaven is not an impossibility and that really is a scary thought. Not only that, in this book people who you have never met can access your heaven - little bit disturbing as makes you think what may happen in the future. This is a very real possibility and do we want to take technology this far?

Definitely a thought provoking book and one that can inspire debate and discussion. It is a good book and the concept of a different future is a good one. A little disturbing in places but a good read. Will recommend to people.

I was given a copy of this book by Net galley in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. So different from anything I have read. It completely took me inside the heavens and the trauma of someone not being who they thought.
Brilliant,different and I can see this doing very well and making a top movie also

What an inventive and thought-provoking book The Memory Chamber turned out to be. A real glimpse into the future where a person’s memories can be used to create a ‘heaven’ they experience after death. Isabel Argent is a heaven architect who creates heavens in a futuristic world where WWIII seems imminent and life is far from simple...especially after she meets a charismatic new client, Jarek, who will change her life in unexpected ways.

I loved the concept of the novel though I failed to warm to Isobel. On one hand she is portrayed as a class one control freak, with everything in her life must be perfect from her appearance to her work ethic, and her powerful boyfriend and their buttoned up life together. On the flip side she’s a bit unhinged by flying off the handle, being rude and unprofessional, and generally seeming at odds with herself. Needless to say, I felt little sympathy for her as events unfold she didn’t see coming.

This was a fab effort and there is a great deal of promising material here. World-building is first rate and there is much to enjoy, but, sadly for me, with no connection to our heroine I just couldn’t feel fully invested.

An original concept for a thriller - Isobel designs artificial heavens, and falls for a terminally ill client. They embark on an affair, but is the relationship as loving as it seems? The story gathers pace and move from sci-if into thriller territory. Can't write too much without plot spoiling, but pick it up - it's a good read!

'The Memory Chamber' is an absolutely brilliant new book by a writer I will be keen to follow. A almost futuristic but maybe parallel timeline has companies able to create artificial heavens (made by Heavenly architects) where prior to your death and with discussion with the architects, your favourite memories can be 'extracted' and your consciousness can spend eternity reliving the best moments of your life.
Immediately this throws up the issue of privilege, those using the service need to pay for it (except for the newly rolled out service for armed forces) and to whom do memories belong. One of the issues raised in the book which the protagonist is totally against is a single opt in system. This would potentially mean no lon ger asking permission from other people to be in your Heaven.
Further to this, the legal aspect becomes quickly apparent, if you can create a Heaven. can you create a Hell and when one of the protagonist, Isobel's, clients is suspected of murder after his death, do you lose the right to an actual 'happy ever after'?
A twisting turning thriller told from a first person perspective, Isobel, a heavenly Architect,'The memory Chamber' is a book to be enjoyed on many levels. Isobel is painted in shades so carefully that you cannot not identify with her and the issues that she is coming up against. She is neither perfect or saintly she is human and flawed and her transition as a character throughout the course of the book is dealt with deftly by Holly Cave.
It has the nuances of a writer who had been published before, it does have a maturity that betrays its debut status and I think Holly Cave's career will be very interesting to watch develop. Cannot wait to see where she goes after this!

Thank you to Netgalley, Holly Cave and Quercus for my ARC of The Memory Chamber.
Title: The Memory Chamber
Author: Holly Cave
Publication Date: 22nd February 2018
Page Count: 400 Pages
Quote: 'We are electric'
Rating: 3.5*
Cover:

Summary
In a dystopian world, for the right price you can hire a Heaven Architect to create your own personal heaven. Here, you can relive your best memories in a timeless loop, from your first kiss with your partner, to the moment your children were born and even the smells and tastes and sounds you loved the most.
Isobel is one such architect, maybe even the best architect there is, perfection is her middle name and she works hard to get everything just right for her clients. That is until she meets Jarek and falls unexpectedly in love with him. Jarek is terminally ill and married but the two start a Short but passionate affair before he dies. Then Isobel discovers Jarek's wife was murdered on the day of his own death and all of a sudden she is dragged into the middle of a murder investigation filled with political conflict and the threat of Jarek's heaven been torn down.

Review
I feel really conflicted about this novel. Hence the 3.5* rating. So I'll try and explain my rating here. Firstly, the concept was amazing, I seriously envy Holly Cave her brain to have thought of this idea. It's not one I've come across before and is therefore completely original and to be honest it was definitely the reason I persevered with this novel.
The characters are what let it down for me, I really don't know what it is but sometimes you get a great concept, brilliant writing style and a good plot but somehow you just can't connect with the characters. I really struggled to feel anything for them at all. I neither liked, nor disliked any of them, their feelings just genuinely didn't matter to me. I didn't feel any excitement of the love affair between Jarek and Isobel, I didn't feel her grief when he died and I didn't feel anything still during the murder investigation. The most feeling I got towards Isobel was annoyance at how aggressive she behaved towards people, she always seems to be 'shouting'.
That being said, I don't want it to sound like I didn't like this novel. As I've said before, if I don't like a book I don't finish it, and I don't review it. I still enjoyed the concepts which were explored in this novel even if some of them (such as the war) didn't feel relevant to the story. It is a really good example of dystopian fiction which plays on the directions we are already going in and explores the consequences of continuing on this path, and as I said before, I think the concept of the 'Heaven' is fantastic.
So basically, the only thing that stopped me rating The Memory Chamber 5* is that the characters let it down for me.

Holly Cave presents us with a fascinating and beguiling premise where death is banished, instead your most cherished and happiest memories can be constantly relived on a loop in the afterlife, the novel is set in the near future. Isobel is a Heaven Architect, spending time with her close to death clients, eliciting their precious memories to shape their virtual reality heaven after their physical body dies. Isobel's moral considerations are thrown for a loop when she falls for one of her married clients, Jarek, her passions aroused. However, everything goes to hell in a handcart when Jarek's wife is found murdered. She and Jarek are suspects and the police want entry to Jarek's heaven, seeking a post-mortem conviction. Isobel finds herself on the run, unable to trust anyone with what she knows.

Cave does some impressively detailed world building, but the most important themes explore the philosophical, scientific, and religious aspects and the ethical and political considerations of this seemingly benign concept of creating heavens for the dead, with many people protesting this idea. First of all, this option is only available for the well off. There are corporations who profit immensely from the business of creating heavens for those who will pay. The ambitious Valhalla corporation are looking to extend their interest, Isobel becomes a pawn in their game to secure their aims. Isobel loves her job, but she is forced to rethink and question her position as everything she has believed in is turned upside down. I found the philosophical aspects thought provoking and the ideas engaging. However, the dispassionate approach in the story meant I was less emotionally involved. An interesting read for those who enjoy the thoughtful exploration of ideas. Many thanks to Quercus for an ARC.

The description for this book really caught my attention. What if we could create a place for our consciousness to go when we die? This idea puts me in mind of something like Black Mirror, the dystopian not-so-distant future that, surely, we've all wondered about at some point. Isobel is a Heaven Architect, someone who creates your Heaven, your place to go when your body dies.

I have to admit, there was a point in this book where I was thinking, 'what, no, please don't make this all about a woman who can't live without a man'. I didn't want a romance story - boy meets girl, boy dies, girl can't live without him. But, happily, I was wrong. I did not see where it was going. I read the last quarter with my hand over my mouth, shocked, sickened, but, sadly, not surprised. Jarek isn't what he seems, and in order to prove her own innocence, Isobel must be a witness for what he has done by entering his ghost memories.

While this may be a speculative, sci-fi, dystopian fiction, it's also a very relevant, human tale about ethics, relationships, and male violence. In Cave's dystopian future, men are still sexually and physically abusing women. And with the help of big corporations and government lobbying, they may be able to keep abusing them in their own Heaven, without the consent of the other party. Cave brings up some very important questions about doing what's right, and knowing when ethics should stand in the way of progress (or what is deemed as progress).

I've seen some reviewers comment about how they couldn't connect with Isobel, and I have to disagree. She's flawed, and that's the beauty of it. She's distant, troubled, yet confident. She takes every decision in hand and sees it through. She's pragmatic, honest. I liked her. I liked how she dealt with everything. She reminded me a bit of myself, holds a mirror up to our deepest, darkest selves, and maybe that's what some reviewers don't like about her.

The synopsis of this book sounded fascinating, and indeed the concept is great and had so many possibilities. Unfortunately the author also gave us one of the most annoying main characters too. Isobel is supposed to be a strong, independent, intelligent woman - one of the best Architects, if not THE best. Knowing this, I couldn't fathom how this woman could just act so unprofessionally and make such idiotic decisions for someone she just met and didn't really know outside of their professional meetings. I started to feel annoyed with her because she was acting more like a petulant teenager with a crush than an adult. It was a real shame because more focus on the other side of the plot could have made this a really great book.

When the premise of the book -- and the concept of artificial Heavens -- was intriguing, this book was a let-down in terms of plot and writing. Despite wanting to know what happened <spoiler>that is, if Jarek did murder his wife</spoiler>, I was unable to finish it. My biggest unanswered question was: why would a sensible, successful young woman who was so good at her job, throw away everything she had over a man she barely even knew? It seemed to me that Isobel fell in lust with a man -- the writing didn't convince me that it was anything else, certainly not love -- and destroyed her relationships, her career and her life. (A different question: Isobel's mother was of Bengali origin; why, then, had she referred to her as "beti", which is not a Bengali word?) I wish I could have finished the book, but it started to meander, and I felt no empathy with the protagonist.

(Review copy from NetGalley)