This is a very thought-provoking book written by Jo Harkin. A tech company that removes unwanted memories, It was believed that these memories were permanently erased but clients are starting to remember traces. This of course becomes a legal issue and the company must offer to revive the erased memories. We meet an emotional distance psychologist Noor who works for the company, Nepenthe and through her thoughts and memories along with four clients, we feel their struggle to decide whether or not they want to gain back their wiped memories, This story got me thinking about the family and friends in your life that share your memory so is your memory truly wiped? Very interesting read. Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for the opportunity to read this ARC in return for an honest review.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

How much of you is shaped by your memories and experiences? What would you be like if you could make yourself forget traumatic memories? Would you still have the trauma without knowing why? What kind of person would delete memories for a living? What would you do with that kind of power?

These are all things you are wondering as you read this book. There’s definitely an Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind vibe to it but very different at the same time. You have 5 characters you follow. An employee who works for the company, characters who know they had their memory altered, characters trying to have their memory altered, and characters who don’t know they’ve had their memory altered.

Due to a lawsuit, the people who don’t know they’ve had their memories altered are given the chance to retrieve their memories. The characters are at very different places in life and the types of memories vary in degree of severity. But an interesting conundrum as to what you yourself would do in that position.

The characters were well developed with rich backstories. This was an interesting and thought provoking read.

Special thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Another book not for everyone. This is a book described akin to Black Mirror anthology which I loved but this one story with several characters (A lot and we seem to get the feeling that these characters will intersect with each other and they do) and a company Nepenthe that can remove bad memories. I know there are several books out like this and I didn't want it to be too sci-fi, and it wasnt. The book was not for me but it is for a lot of people. I feel it will be a good book for book groups because it poses the question of do our memories shape us, or are who we are even with bad memories and questions like that. I skimmed a little I admit but not because of bad writing, I am going to give it a 3, not because its a bad book, just not my type right now so I do admit my rating is a bit unfair. The writing style was nice and if you like science a lot, you will really like this book.

I feel like this is a 4 star book but I'm giving it a 3 because I'm just not into science and books like this kind of raise a lot of questions that cannot be answered.

A very interesting story about pe0ple's choices in deleting some of their disturbing memories. I thoroughly enjoyed the philosophical questions the various characters struggled with in deciding whether to delete or restore memories. Told from five different point of views, the book was a little slow at times and in my opinion would have been a better read if presented from fewer points of view. Still a very worthwhile read and is strongly recommended.

This is a fascinating premise of being able to delete memories you no longer want to hold and offers a LOT to ponder as we all have memories like this. But of course, there are consequences to this decision. Tell Me an Ending gives us a look at those consequences. Thought provoking for sure; recommend to fans of Black Mirror!

This is such a thought-provoking and brilliant concept. I was intrigued as soon as I read the blurb.
What if you once had a painful memory removed? And what if you were offered the chance to get it back?

There are four main characters. Mei, Finn, Oscar, William are the ones who had the deleting procedure. Then there is Noor who is the psychologist who has been working for Nepenthe the company where the memory-erasing procedures have been taking place since the 90’s. She has been dealing with her own memories.

But what if somebody tells you about a trip, you can’t remember? Or an incident that happened in the past and can’t remember anything? And what if you suspect there’s serious wrongdoing? But you can't do anything because of the deleting procedure.

This book makes you think. I really enjoyed the author's writing. She had me captivated from the beginning and I enjoyed the different POVs.

It's a different book which more people need to read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This debut science fiction thriller is complex and completely absorbing.

If our personality and state of mind is dependent on our memories, experiences, and relationships then what happens if part of those is erased? A clinic offers a service to particular clients interested in deleting traumatic recent memories. Napenthe supposedly does careful psychological evaluation of potential patients before performing the procedure. All does not go well, however, and some of those who had undergone the memory removal experience trace recall. When a class action lawsuit is brought against the company due to this side effect, some of those affected are offered memory restoration.

The narrative is polyphonic with a collection of very interesting characters all connected through Nepenthe. All are struggling with the concept of the memory deletion and how it has strained their current lives. Since none of them know exactly what has been removed from their consciousness, they don’t understand their feelings and behavior.

There is quite a lot to absorb in this novel as it touches on moral and philosophical questions about self and how the brain deals with traumatic incidents. How important is memory, which is often not as accurate as we would like to believe, in shaping how we respond to life. Assuming this ability to erase specific, targeted events is possible, then is it a good thing or a bad thing — and why or why not. As one character says, it’s important to ask questions.

I really enjoyed this and it has given me much to ponder. It would make an excellent choice for discussion with a book club interested in going deep. The author writes well and the story drew me in keeping me engrossed for hours. I will definitely look for another title in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend.

very dark and dystopian
major moral dilemmas
pretty long chapters
emphasizes that things in this world are not all fully good or fully bad
follows a handful of characters

I was so excited to dive into this book and I very much enjoyed it. I loved the concept of memory removal/restoration and this book definitely delivered. I do wish that the multiple storylines tied together better OR were presented more as individual short stories (similar to the structure of Before the Coffee Gets Cold). I wish we had more Oscar, Finn, and Mei and I felt that the relationship between Louise and Noor wasn't fully developed until really exploding at the end. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a novel that touches on the sci-fi realm, with the caveat that it reads more like short stories than a cohesive novel. Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC.

It took me a little to get into this book. The plot and the characters are interesting but for some reason it just couldn't hold my attention. Maybe I will need to come back to this one later on and try again.

Tell Me an Ending by Jo Harkin is a unique speculative fiction novel about a world where people can erase their worst memories. Thank you @scribnerbooks for the gifted copy, this comes out tomorrow!

The story rotates POVs of a psychologist at a memory removal clinic, plus four other characters all grappling with the decisions and ripple effects of the procedure.

The premise is incredibly thought-provoking. How have traumas shaped how I interact with the world? Would I erase those memories? Would my personality be different without them? Is it even ethical to do? I don’t know any of these answers, but the book explores them all.

Admittedly I often thought “What is happening and who are all these people?” in the first half. It all gradually merged with a few unexpected connections. There’s plenty of mystery!

However I think this would benefit from a tighter scope. The world-building and storylines were busy and I would prefer a deeper look at fewer characters.

Trauma and mental health are central to the story, so I encourage you to consider that before diving in. Content includes suicide, death of a parent, and car accidents. Please feel free to DM me if you would like more detail.

If you enjoy books with multiple POVs, Black Mirror vibes, and moral grayness, Tell Me an Ending might be a good read for you!

In my last year of college, I did a thesis project where I focused a lot on memory and how it’s written about in literature – how time affects our perspective on memories, how our memory of events in our lives affects the decisions we make, how it all shapes our sense of self and how it evolves… Is it really any surprise, then, that when I read the description of Jo Harkin’s debut novel Tell Me an Ending it immediately went to the top of my ‘To Read’ list? The idea of being able to erase (usually) painful memories is not a new one – Harkin’s characters make references to several famous examples of memory loss throughout the novel. But Harkin’s exploration of the concept also explores at length the ways that such an ability would be at the mercy of human nature in its implementation and asks the age-old question, just because something can be done, does it follow it should be done?

Noor has worked at Nepenthe for years. But the company that specializes in deleting memories from its patients – some choosing to remain consciously aware that they’ve had the procedure done and others choosing to have the knowledge of the procedure deleted as well – has been forced to confront the fact that their promise the deleted memories were gone for good wasn’t true. In fact, rumors that some folks have had traces of their deleted memories popping back up. Some public trials and further medical advancements led to the decision that those who chose not to remember having had the procedure be notified and given the opportunity to have those memories restored at no cost. But as Noor and several others find out, that might not be entirely true either. It may not cost them financially, but there are other costs to consider.

The structure of the novel is one of my favorite things about it. The chapters each follow one of five different characters that at first glance they appear completely unconnected – it’s even unclear whether they’re all affected by the Nepenthe revelations the reader is first introduced to through Noor. But as the notification emails go out to the “self-confidential” clients’ connections to more than just their deleted memories start to appear. The web of how their lives are intertwined proves to be as tangled as memory and their senses of self. While there are elements of “those who don’t remember the past are doomed to repeat it” at play, it’s not as prominent as other works exploring the implications of targeted memory wipes. Harkin seems much more interested in the question of not knowing what you chose to forget can do to a person and to their relationships with those around them. Consent is at the heart of the legal issues that spark the premise of the novel – all those who not only consented to the procedure but with the condition that they never know it had taken place suddenly and unexpectedly having that key condition disregarded…

Harkin’s exploration of morality is also fascinating and complicated throughout the novel. There is Noor’s growing suspicions of those she works with as Nepenthe works to get ahead of the story with the restorations they’ve been cornered into offering, for though the company’s stated mission and intent were noble – seeking to aid those suffering from PTSD and other disorders by lessening the impact of traumatic memories on their lives – it was ultimately a business with a bottom line where ethics weren’t always a top priority. For those who learn they (or their loved ones) had memories deleted, there’s the question of what could they have done or experienced or witnessed that was so bad they chose to delete it – could it have been some moral failing or ethical code they broke, a crime they committed or that was committed against them? Will restoring their memories reveal personal failings or shame?

In the end, I very much enjoyed the ways the various characters’ stories unfolded. There was a realistic and emotional messiness to it all that underscores the fact that life is always going to be a little bit messy, no matter how you try to organize it – but that’s just part of living. Actions have consequences that you must live with whether you remember that initial action or not.

Tell Me an Ending is available today, March 1, 2022.

Tell Me An Ending revolves around Nepenthe, an organization that will remove painful, often traumatic memories using a quick, painless procedure. The book follows five characters, each connected to Nepenthe in some way.

There's Noor, a somewhat mysterious scientist that continually questions the morality of the work she and her coworkers are doing.

Finn, an easygoing architect that begins to question his wife's loyalty.

Mei, an insecure college student that has snippets of memories from a country she's positive she's never been.

William, a police officer, husband, and father that struggles with PTSD.

And Oscar, a handsome man in his late twenties that doesn't remember anything at all.

I enjoyed following these characters along on their journeys. It was an exciting book to read, even though we learn of some heartbreaking moments in their lives. Most of the sections ended on cliffhangers, so it was an easy book to keep reading and get lost in.

This book was slightly a struggle for me to get through...there were a lot of words but not much happening. I'm still getting the jargon down but I would describe this as a character-driven futuristic/sci-fi book. The sci-fi part of it is woven in but isn't the main character. It's just how this world is. But! I appreciate the whole point of the story (what I took from it was life isn't always black and white...a lot of situations are grey and things don't always have a "rainbows and butterflies" happy ending) and the writing. I really enjoyed reading from Noor's, William's, and Oscar's point-of-view....couldn't stand Finn, though. When the description says it's similar to Black Mirror, that is spot on.

In a future when memory deletion is possible, we follow 4 characters dealing with the consequences of memory deletion and the possibility of getting the memory back. Alongside them, we also follow Noor's story, one of the employers of the company responsible for the deletions.

When I finished the book, I felt I read a short story collection that had the same theme: how memory shapes us and how the past impacts our future and the lives of our loved ones. I didn't feel I was reading just one cohesive narrative but 5 distinct stories with the some of the clients interloping in Noor's story for a quick "hello". And most of them didn't have a satisfying ending in my opinion; by wanting to leave them open but still wanting to give closure, I felt the author didn't achieve either. Also, all of the answers for the misteries in the book are shown to the reader before the characters know them, so we have to wait for the characters to catch up to what we already know. That happens so much and it definitely hampered my enjoyment

I didn't see any development for any character, specially because of how the story is presented: every arc for the characters comes as a memory, so when the characters do change is out of the blue due to what they've remembered.

I did like the concept and the first part of the book I really enjoyed, but the rest of the book didn't live up to them.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

This book starts off seeming like a collection of short stories all with a common thread. Every character either works for Nepenthe or has been their client. In this book, Nepenthe is a company that deletes specific memories, and after new research and a few lawsuits, also restores them. Eventually, we get to see that the characters in each other's stories and everything ends up weaved together fairly well.

As with any memory-centric story, I feel there are plot-holes. However, in Tell Me an Ending, these are all addressed, questioned, and thought out. We dive deep into the morality of messing with memories, into ethics and legality, the philosophy, the possible reality. I really loved how much depth was explored in an abundance of aspects. Also, I personally cannot ever read anything related to memories without thinking of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and so I really appreciated that even that movie was touched on.

Overall, I loved this book. Anything surrounding memories is endlessly fascinating to me and I feel as though this book was well thought out, well written and made it's point very well.

What if you once had a painful memory removed? And what if you were offered the chance to get it back? Tell Me an Ending follows four characters grappling with the question of what to remember—and what they hoped to forget forever.

Hello speculative fiction goodness! Tell Me an Ending was a gripping, thought-provoking, sad and page-turning read from start to finish. Noor, the introductory character, works at a memory removal clinic, Nepenthe. When Nepenthe lands in hot water regarding failed procedures, Noor discovers that not everything at Nepenthe is what it seems. Mei, Finn, William and Oscar each struggle with their own circumstances regarding their memories, each with their own tragic or happy endings.

I really appreciated how to-the-point the opening scenes were in establishing what Nepenthe is, what they do and what the major conflict is. Not all dystopian/spec fiction books do this well, but this one certainly did—no confusion to be found.

Each of the main characters were distinct and interesting, with their own unique voices and conflicts. The POVs throughout the book change at great points to kept the reader guessing. The timelines differ a little, so it was confusing at times to place events in the correct order. However, by the end, you can clearly see all the stories connecting. I really enjoyed how everything got tied together by the ending. I grieved for some characters, celebrated others, and contemplated how some could possibly move forward.

In some instances, I was expecting worse “reveals” and was surprised that not everything was as severe as I anticipated. However, this actually worked in the book’s favor, highlighting how deeply a singular event could affect someone and how someone could or could not move on.

I found the story to be cohesive and satisfying overall. It’s a very intriguing story that kept me thinking long after I turned the final page.

“In the end, I felt like even though it was a painful memory, I wanted to hold on to it anyways…Because then you might just be able to let it go, naturally…And then…it’s really gone.”

Title: Tell Me An Ending
Author: Jo Harkin
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Many thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. #TELLMEANENDING releases TUESDAY MARCH 1, 2022!

I really enjoyed this debut novel from Jo Harkin! This story is a sci-fi mystery that emphasizes how technology affects human lives.

This is a character-driven story with five characters of focus - a doctor at the main memory removal clinic, a young college dropout, an ex-cop, a man constantly on the run, and the husband of a woman who can’t recall deleting a memory. Their stories are all very intriguing, related, and keep you on your toes.

The main theme of this story is coming to terms with painful events. There are a number of ways people grapple with trauma: some act as though it never happened, and some face it head on to learn and grow from the experience. But there’s also a “gray area” that is central to TELL ME AN ENDING’s story. Sometimes pain finds it’s way into other important aspects of our lives…

My only qualms are:
1. At the beginning there were too many characters to keep up with. I think if we had our doctor and three patients that would’ve been sufficient.
2. Harkin’s writing style is interesting. We switch from characters’ internal monologues to real-time conversations, but sometimes I couldn’t discern the two.

As a whole, I give this 4.5 stars. I usually don’t like books longer than 350 pages as I often find they can be edited down. However, the added context is definitely needed for this character heavy story. I would love to see what other sci-fi novels Harkin has up her sleeve and will definitely keep an eye out for any of her future releases.

Characters: 4.5/5
Cover: 5/5
Story: 4/5
Writing: 4/5

Ohh boy did Tell Me an Ending feel like something that could actually happen! A for-profit company messing with people's minds and then having to backtrack, further messing up people's minds when the government throws their nonsense into the ring? Oh yes. I can see this!

I really found this book incredibly emotive and thought provoking. This is certainly a character driven story, though the plot is certainly not lacking either. The concept of erasing, then potentially recovering memories is endlessly fascinating to me, and I can never help but ponder it on a personal level, which I certainly did here. There are multiple points of view, but you will soon see that all of these people have had some connection to the memory removal process.

I loved getting to take a journey into the pasts of each of the characters. Of course, in some cases, even the characters themselves had no idea what sort of secrets were lurking in their pasts, which ups the tension. I really became quite invested in all the characters, even if the pacing was at times slower. I was invested in their current lives as well as their hidden pasts, and what the outcome of their decisions would mean for them going forward.

I don't want to give too much away, since this one is certainly the kind of story you ought to experience for yourself. But suffice it to say, the characters were well developed, and the plot imaginative enough to keep me excited to keep reading.

Bottom Line: The characters were engaging, the story thought-provoking, and while it was a slower, quieter story, I absolutely enjoyed it.

The premise of this novel is what hooks you but the execution fails to fully reel you in. The multitude of characters all feel one-dimensional and their situations seem “glossed over” without ever really committing. Maybe a few less characters and much more depth would have fleshed out the story a bit better. The vague endings and unanswered questions left a hole in the satisfaction of the story much like the holes in memory and relationships and self many of the characters suffer from. However, the plot is propulsive at times and entertaining. Mostly, it leads one to think about what they might do in such situations and prompts self-examination.