In The Book of M, One afternoon at an outdoor market in India, a man’s shadow disappears—an occurrence science cannot explain. He is only the first. The phenomenon spreads like a plague, and while those afflicted gain a strange new power, it comes at a horrible price: the loss of all their memories.
Ory and his wife Max have escaped the Forgetting so far by hiding in an abandoned hotel deep in the woods. Their new life feels almost normal, until one day Max’s shadow disappears too.
Knowing that the more she forgets, the more dangerous she will become to Ory, Max runs away. But Ory refuses to give up the time they have left together. Desperate to find Max before her memory disappears completely, he follows her trail across a perilous, unrecognizable world, braving the threat of roaming bandits, the call to a new war being waged on the ruins of the capital, and the rise of a sinister cult that worships the shadowless.
As they journey, each searches for answers: for Ory, about love, about survival, about hope; and for Max, about a new force growing in the south that may hold the cure. (Via Goodreads)
I received an eARC of The Book of M from Netgalley, courtesy of William Morrow, in exchange for an honest review.
The Book of M Threw me for so many loops that I’m pretty sure I need to read it again. This near future post-apocalyptic novel was absolutely stunning, and here’s all the reasons why.
I was hooked from the first page. Shepherd uses a couple of different mediums inThe Book of M which really made the book pop. The inclusion of the tape recorder was really unusual, but it really worked for Max’s perspective as she continued to forget things throughout the book.
The plot twist in this really messed me up. I listened to it and got to the big twist at the end RIGHT as I got to hang out with some friends. It was traumatizing in a way.
The keeping of memories tied in with shadows was honestly awesome. I loved the way that Shepherd tied these two concepts together for The Book of M. It made it the perfect realistic science fantasy novel for me. It also has an awesomely diverse cast from top to bottom.
The only thing that bothered me was the ending and the way that romance was treated. I won’t go into more detail because of spoilers, but it bugged me. Feel free to DM me on twitter or email me with discussion points cause I would love to talk about it!
If I haven’t convinced you to read this yet, then I’m disappointed in myself. I adored this book. I hope you’ll read it and come talk to me. You can pick up a copy on Amazon
Oooooh okay this sounds super interesting. Adding it to the list! The premise is pleasingly very creepy indeed.
I don’t get it… was the ‘big plot twist at the end’ somehow flawed? She said the wrong thing. Argh! I wish I had an explanation, it’s going to drive me nuts!