A very interesting pandemic speculative fiction book. The pandemic is devastating and only a small group of people survive who were in a trail for a vaccines. These characters are very complex and deep, making some difficult choices about how to navigate the pandemic and their relationships. And it also looks at the power of memory. I enjoyed how it was really almost three stories woven into one. Plus it talks about octopuses!

In Fuller’s latest book, a pandemic has broken out and a young woman named Neffy signs up for an experimental vaccine trial in London. She awakens from a short illness after receiving the vaccine to discover that the world as she knows it has ended. She’s locked inside a hospital ward with a few surviving volunteers who we discover are hiding something from her.

The story takes us between this dystopian London, Neffy’s memories of her past and a letter written to “H” who we later learn is an octopus. The reader learns of Neffy’s past as she uses a controversial device that allows people to revisit their memories. Neffy inability to resist using the device to escape reaches dangerous levels.

This has some very readable sections but the final reveals fall flat. The mystery of what the vaccine trial participants were hiding was hum drum, the mystery of what shameful thing she did that resulted in her debt was also not that big of a deal, the dysfunction of her family was interesting but also not brought to a satisfying ending. I still enjoyed reading this - reading Fuller’s beautiful descriptions and word choices - but in the end, this didn’t make it to the top of my list.

If you’re looking for a Fuller book to read, start with Bitter Orange or Swimming lessons or Endless numbered days.

Thank you to Net Galley for an advance reading of The Memory of Animals by Claire Fuller. #TheMemoryofAnimals #NetGalley

I originally requested an arc of The Memory of Animals because I recently read Bitter Orange and was BLOWN AWAY by the story. It was my first Claire Fuller book and immediately became a top 10 book of all time for me so I was THRILLED when I saw that I was approved for this book.

Right from the jump, it was clear that this was a Claire Fuller novel. I was expecting (hoping) to like it, yes, but I wasn't sure if I would since I had only read one book by her and I didn't know if she might have just been a one-hit wonder. Like Bitter Orange, this book is INCREDIBLE. It's a little bit strange, really interesting and like Bitter Orange has a strong focus on relationships. I can't speak about her other books, but when it comes to RELATIONSHIPS, this is where Claire Fuller SHINES. Nobody does it better.

Reading this was somewhat surreal for me since the last 3 years has felt like living in a dystopian hellscape, and on top of that I have been watching The Last Of Us, AND, I am a long COVID survivor. Due to that unholy trinity I wasn't sure if I was going to be burned out on a pandemic novel, but it was Claire Fuller so I said screw it and crossed my fingers hoping it would be worth whatever emotional toll it took on me. Spoiler: IT WAS FANTASTIC!!!

Neffy's story was absolutely unnerving BUT the book was never over the top scary. This book is a solid 4.75/5 stars and I would absolutely recommend this without hesitation to fans of Claire Fuller's previous works, and/or fans of dystopian novels..

Like Bitter Orange, The Memory of Animals is an extremely beautifully written novel that I will be purchasing in hard copy as soon as it is released. Cannot wait to see what Claire has in store for us next!

Also, props to whoever created the beautiful artwork for the cover. Absolutely gorgeous!! I don't like having ugly books in my personal library as I treat books like pieces of art, and I will without a doubt be proud to have this displayed on my bookshelf!

Thank you again for approving me for this arc!

This was a really interesting look at a fictional pandemic, with some things seeming similar to COVID and other things not. It's weird to think that the pandemic in this would have seemed crazy and completely unrealistic if I'd read this pre-COVID though, but now I was reading through it thinking about similarities to the past few years.

The Revisiting aspect of the book was cool, and because of the way it was described it didn't seem too out there or farfetched I guess. But I didn't quite get the whole octopus part.. Why was Neffy writing letters to the octopus? Why did she say she fell in love with it? And why did her mom too?? It wasn't bad, I just didn't get that part.

I DNF this one. The concept is interesting however, i found myself confused. Set during a pandemic, Neffy volunteers for a vaccine trial, the rest of the world falls apart—-interesting. The Revisiting—tech that helps you revisit your past—-interesting. The characters—interesting. The letters Neffy is writing to an octopus—huh? I am all for whimsical/magical realism etc but they seem disjointed from the rest of the novel. Which is too bad bc that was actually what drew me to the novel.

I was very excited to receive an ARC of Claire Fuller’s latest book set to be released in April 2023. I find this author to be one of the most unique and creative out there and I have enjoyed all of her past books. The Memory of Animals did not disappoint. There was an octopus (there have recently been so many books and movies about this fascinating animal!), a pandemic, relationships, suspense, and difficult decisions to be made. I was pulled in from the start and could not put it down! You will think and feel with this book! Although it had some dystopian qualities, it was not as far-fetched as to not be believable (even my own altered perception of what could be believable during a pandemic is a bit mind-blowing). I can’t wait for more people to read it so that we can discuss the ending!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Tin House for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

An intense, beautiful, thrilling and all too real story set in a hospital in London.

As a pandemic circles the world, Neffy, a struggling marine biologist volunteers to be a test subject for a potential cure in a hospital in London. Her family and friends are very much against her plan and she does her best to relay their fears as they text one another while the world shuts down.

With little to do inside, Neffy befriends the motley crew of volunteers and finds that one of them (Leon) has created an invention that allows users to relive their memories. Neffy slowly begins to use the program more and more and retreat from the real world and the impending doom.

The end of this brilliant speculative fiction is not to be missed! If you love pandemic stories, dystopia, human error or just want to learn more about the incredible octopi that Neffy studied, The Memory Of Animals is for you!
#TinHouse #theMemoryofAnimals #ClaireFuller

FROM THE EDITOR:
“Working with Claire Fuller is one of the great joys of my career. With each book, I learn something new, visit, a unique world, meet unforgettable characters, and I am always left, wanting to share Claire‘s work with everyone I know. The Memory of Animals, our fifth book together, is no exception. Claire has delivered a tight and steering novel set in the near future about a woman who— motivated by secrets and mistakes and her past— joins and experimental drug trial that might be humanity’s last hope to cure a new devastating disease. When I first encounter the story, I shared with Claire, but it was like anything I had ever read.— but if pressed, it would require a mashup: Sequoia Nagamatsu’s How High We Go in the Dark meets The Breakfast Club meets My Octopus Teacher”.
……*part* of the editor’s notes—(there is more)— and as a reader, I appreciate the way we are set up to begin this story!
— thank you, Masie Cochran

I’m a long time passionate fan of Claire Fuller. She is literally one of my favorite authors.
I want to drop everything to read what she writes.

Other books I read by Claire:
….Endless Numbered Days
….Swimming Lessons
….Bitter Orange
….Unsettled Ground
and a 15 minute free discussion audiobook about ‘Swimming Lessons’.

I was sooo excited to begin ‘Memory of Animals.
And…..I ENJOYED IT!
It was so visual for me - I was already casting the characters for the Netflix series.

It begins with a letter …..
“dearesT h.
“Is it possible to fall in love at
twelve? With an octopus? I met him in the Ionian Sea when I was snorkeling at the beach, for my father had his hotel. I’d like to think he loved me back as you maybe did too. I wonder often where you are and how you’re doing. Are you dead or alive? Was it wrong, what I did? And is it better to live a small life, contained an enclosed where everything is provided, and the unexpected rarely happens? As a safe flight. Or one where you swim out into the unknown and risk everything. I chose for you, since the choice wasn’t yours to make. But, I wanted to write to apologize and ask your forgiveness to explain myself”
—-neffy

Neffy is no longer twelve years old. I wondered ‘for awhile’, though as to how old she was - and what she was asking forgiveness for.
We learn right away that she has volunteered for an experimental vaccine study that had never once been tried on humans. She would be in a hospital— isolated in her room —for three weeks.
I’m going to be a good-girl here and not over describe this book ….
It’s sooooo tempting for me ….
But….
I’ll only share a few things ….then shut my trap.
There’s the pandemic….people were dying. The virus [Dropsy virus] was spreading everywhere; people were terrified.
Dropsy caused a range of symptoms….including swelling of some organs, nerve damage, and sensory damage.
So….
….the first human challenge trail took healthy volunteers between the ages of eighteen and thirty. They would be exposed to the virus in a safe controlled environment at a secret location while doctors monitored their health around the clock….
AND…..
“Sorry, something has gone wrong”

Besides Neffy…..we meet the other volunteers: Leon, Yahiko, Rachel, and Piper.
There ‘is’ a “Breakfast Club” feeling in this novel….
and so much more > to explore & contemplate……(about humanity, evolution, morality, survival, freedom, and love) …..while revisiting of past memories…..
plus…. the wonderful inserts about octopuses, ocean creatures that are most famous for having eight arms and bulbous heads.

I loved the book …..I’m simply in heaven when reading Claire Fuller’s books…..(each one so different)….yet each one has elements of mystery, controversy, and suspense without being overly dramatic.
Claire always taps deeply into my cerebral brain and my emotional heart.

I didn’t see the ending coming….Left me with thoughts…..and it will others!
I suppose it’s best said that the ending is bittersweet

And most….I really loved reading “The Memory of Animals”
Congrats Claire!!! Beautifully written and ambitious novel.
Thank you Netgalley and Tin House

A challenging read exploring humanity, memory, truth and relationships in the immediate aftermath of a devastating pandemic. I loved the letters and interludes and found I wanted more of what came next, and not as much of the immediately-after. Still a solid read that I really enjoyed.

I really liked the concept of this novel, I think interconnected short stories would have worked as well. I liked the post-apocalyptic theme like we are seeing with a lot of newer novels. The writing was beautiful and thought-provoking

A tough read for tough times. Overall, I found each individual storyline to be compelling and provocative on their own, but I ultimately struggled to connect with the whole gestalt.

The idea of a machine that allows you to revisit memories in a time of total isolation is one that brims with potential, but I felt that the story only grazed the surface of its narrative and thematic possibilities. Apart from a key moment in the third act (and a glorious gut-punch of a final sentence), the Revisitor rarely serves a larger purpose than as a narrative device to include the story's second major timeline. Had the author chosen to simply include these sequences as plain-old flashbacks, I don't think my overall feelings about the story would change. It adds a layer, but it's only skin-deep.

All that said, I did really enjoy this book! I appreciate that the author tried something unconventional, even if it didn't entirely click with me.

Set against the backdrop of a global pandemic, The Memory of Animals asks pertinent questions about freedom and responsibility: examining not only how we treat one another but how we treat the other creatures of the Earth. Weaving together three narrative threads (one in the present day and two from the past), author Claire Fuller maintains tension by dangling mysteries that don’t get untangled until the very end, and I was glued to the page — both wanting those answers and savouring the ride. This is more than a COVID novel — even if many of the situations will feel familiar to the reader — and like all good fiction, it drills down on what it means to be human; what it means to be humane.

Despite having finished this in less than 48 hours - a definite record for me lately - this one fell far short of my somewhat high hopes. While the premise was certainly interesting and Fuller's way with words made it immensely readable, I ultimately felt the payoff wasn't really worth the investment. This is perhaps due to pandemic exhaustion. I've always been a fan of apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic fiction, but now that we've actually lived through it, to a degree, I expect a bit more from my fiction, if that makes sense.

It's not so much that the pandemic was unbelievable, it was that it seemed a vehicle for the character drama more than anything else. That's not a problem really, but I'd have dumped all the <spoiler>pointless love letters to the octopus</spoiler> in favor of more development in this area. That being said, even the characters seemed somewhat poorly sketched, a blurry composite rather than a finely drawn, completed work.

I didn't hate it - again, I'd have stopped early on if I had - but the whole thing just felt extremely underwhelming and ultimately unmemorable. I almost feel like it could have been a short story rather than a novel, that's how much of its content I felt was unnecessary. I think a lot of people will really love this one, but it ultimately wasn't really for me.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the opportunity to read!

Whew! this is a tough one to rate. If there had been more focus on one of its multiple themes, this book could have been a Four Star. But I felt as if I were reading Remarkably Bright Creatures (again) or watching the documentary "My Octopus Friend. (again).. I was reminded of Wish You Were Here (Pandemic Novel)) and even Candy House (Sci Fi and Memory revisiting Novel).

Claire Fuller is a good writer but even she couldn't overcome the slow and draggy middle section of the book. Here the group of vaccine testing volunteers try to survive a horrendous virus going on outside the hospital by sharing and reducing their remaining rations until someone (?) comes to help them.

Yet the tale of Neffy, perhaps the only now immune member of the human race, attempts to survive while writing letters to someone (something?) that will never answer. She must also learn to control her addiction to an electronic memory invention, the Revisitor, that can allow her to seemingly relive happier times in her life.

There are some thought provoking issues to ponder. Are we meant to help others when it may end our own life? What is our responsibility to continue our species? Is it acceptable to be inhumane when our own survival is at risk? You can see both sides here.

The book really picks up towards the end with graphic and exciting scenes. Then suddenly, it ends, leaving you wondering what happened between the counting of days since the pandemic began and the last paragraph. of the book.

Still, with all that said, I continued to read and re-read and ponder the answers to my questions. So thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for this interesting ARC in exchange for an honest review.