REVIEW
What an incredibly moving story! The Memory Library by Kate Storey really brought tears to my eyes! It left quite a lasting impression on me for various reasons but this beautiful novel is a real treasure for booklovers everywhere who completely appreciate the joy, knowledge and healing that books can bring.
Sally Harrison has a unique library in her home that she lovingly created for her daughter. She has been adding a new book for forty-two years on Ella’s birthday. She continued the tradition even after Ella moved to Australia from her home in England. Each book has been carefully chosen based on a life message Sally wanted to share with her daughter. Then she personalised the edition with a special hand-written inscription—a loving note with her heartfelt wishes. Sally hopes that this collection will become a beautiful memory treasure for her daughter after she passes on. It is Sally’s unique legacy of love for Ella.
As a child, Ella received so much comfort from the stories her mother shared. ‘The bookcase had been her happy place….’ It is lined with exquisite editions of the classics and other fiction books by world renowned authors. Her parents held a different view on what she should read. Her mother had broader tastes that included commercial fiction and encouraged Ella to read these along with the long-time greats. But her father was a firm believer in sticking to the classics. He had no patience with modern literature. Yet Ella loved both and enjoyed escaping to different worlds between the pages. Of course, Jane Austen’s novels are mentioned as Ella loved the formality of the prose and found the satire hilarious. She enjoyed unlocking the hidden meanings in Austen’s paragraphs. These books and other great novels are mentioned and I enjoyed the inspiring connections they provided throughout the text.
An unfortunate event with her mother’s health brings Ella home to England for a visit. She hasn’t been there in over twenty years since moving to Australia. Her departure was a painful one: the death of her father and revelation of a secret that rocked her world deeply. This conflict caused a wedge between her and her mother. Anger and blame festered over many years and ‘tainted every memory and thought she had of home.’
Since Ella kept her distance from all that was familiar—including her mother, her reunion is a nervous one. Initially she is motivated by a sense of ‘duty’ and still affected by her resentment and anger. But during her return, she becomes re-acquainted with the feeling of lightness of heart in losing oneself in a book and remembering her special connection with her mother. For a brief while she allows herself to get lost in the scent of books while they carry her to some of the more pleasant memories of her family’s past.
When Ella discovers that her mother’s home library and books with their inscriptions have been affected by a flood, she feels terrible. A wonderful room her mother had created in her memory, ‘because memories were all Ella had left her with.’ As she stands at the door and sees the mess, pity and guilt fiercely battle within her. When Ella eventually comes face to face with the truth that things are very different from what she believed, she is confronted with all those twenty-two years of resentment that caused her to lose precious time with her mother. And she realises the magnitude of loneliness that cloaked Sally for years.
There’s page after page of wonderful wisdom in this novel. One of the messages that resounds clearly for Ella is that things are not always as they appear. And like Sally, we may hope time will build a bridge between those who have fallen out with us, but that can never happen unless the truth is released. It is the only way to be cleared of false betrayal.
Being a positive story, good things happen for Sally and Ella that allow for restoration to begin. Plus, there is a chance for mother and daughter to sit in this little library crafted by love and read books together once again. There are some tender moments of sharing, tears, forgiveness, revelation and healing. And a new understanding bursts across these pages like sunlight on a once darkened shore. It is truly a beautiful story where friendship and love bind every thing together and deliver an uplifting ending.
There are many appealing support characters in this novel like Ella’s husband, the professor and Verity. On Ella’s trip back to England, she not only gets re-acquainted with her mother and her English roots but she also reconnects with her old friend. Verity is a great support for Ella and helps her through some rough patches while she tries to make sense of all that she discovers about her mother, father and the life they portrayed. But Ella, also after listening to Verity’s woes, offers her some good advice that will help her friend rediscover a part of herself she has neglected. Verity begins art classes and everything changes for her—for the better. She is refreshed and her talent for art is re-born.
This is a story mostly about relationships: particularly between a mother and daughter—and their connection through the magic of books. Words that free, teach, enchant and deliver joy. This story made me feel and think. For I live on the opposite of the world from my eighty-six year old mother and remaining family, too. At times when sickness and loss occur, the distance becomes challenging, so I can relate.
I highly recommend this gorgeous novel that made me cry, stirred up deep emotions, released forgotten memories and reminded me of why I love books so much! Well done to author Kate Storey for this magnificent debut. I look forward to more of her work! 5 Star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks to Avon Books and Netgalley for my review copy.
