They say it’s always beautiful in Bethlam, Nevada. No place you’d rather live. The people are friendly, if a little nosy, and there’s no crime to speak of. Life is pretty perfect.
But postal worker Hank Davies has started to suspect something is off in this idyllic little town. And he’s certain of that when he realizes the letters he’s been delivering are just blank pages.
Hank isn’t the only one who’s noticed the oddities in Bethlam. One such person knocks on his window in the middle of the night, urging him to investigate his bedroom wall. When Hank pulls back the wallpaper, he discovers dozens of sheets of paper, full of a story that is either complete madness or unbelievable truth. As he begins looking beyond the veneer of his smiling neighbors and their white picket fences, Hank is drawn further and further into a disturbing new reality …
Told in Bassoff’s lyrical and evocative style, The Memory Wardis a disquieting story that except amines the nature of identity, trauma, and what it means to be human.
The Memory Ward is a mind-bending blend of speculative fiction, horror, and science fiction. The story follows postal worker Hank Davies in Bethlam, Nevada. One day, on his route, he realizes he’s been delivering blank sheets of paper within addressed envelopes to houses. When he returns home to tell his wife, she blames him for not doing his job and oddly dismisses his concerns. That night he receives a knock on the window by another Bethlam resident, insisting that he look behind the wallpaper in his bedroom for answers. What he discovers is a shocking truth left behind by his former self in a life he doesn’t remember.
This page-turner story is fast-paced with short chapters, making it extremely binge-worthy! The isolated small-town Nevada setting is the perfect backdrop for this mind-bending story. While the town seems perfect on the outside, there is so much more going on that slowly becomes apparent, paralleling the unraveling of the hidden identities of the characters.
The story is told in five interwoven POVs, with each perspective given its own part of the book. The reveals in this story happen in stages, with clever detours woven in that play psychological games with readers. Bassoff’s writing is lyrical and haunting, amplified by a sun-baked desert suburbia where residents have eerie smiles plastered on.
Aside from protagonist Hank, all the town’s characters are suspicious and harbor secrets. The whole town has a Twilight Zone/Truman Show vibe to it that creates an atmospheric reading experience for the entire wild ride. Hank is a kind-hearted, likable character who readers can easily root for. He’s told he’s been recovering from a recent accident he doesn’t remember by his doting wife. But what he reads behind the wallpaper forces him to question everything and creates an identity crisis of epic proportions. Readers will be ferociously turning the pages to see if Hank can get to the truth before it’s too late. In the second half, Hank becomes much more fearless after some important breakthroughs in his memory. But don’t even think you’ll be able to guess what happens next—the story becomes more unpredictable with each passing chapter from there on, and Hank’s decision-making is not what you’ll expect, especially in crucial scenes—to both the delight and frustration of readers!
The audiobook is the perfect format for this story, and the narrators do a fantastic job. Main Narrator (and well-known actor) Bronson Pinchot perfectly embodies Hank (and his variations), using a tone infused with unease and tension that draws listeners in from the very first chapter. He also provides realistic and distinct voices for all the characters that give the audiobook a cinematic feel. Dawn Harvey and Janina Edwards both give dramatic and engrossing performances of their female characters, adding additional layers of suspense and intrigue to the story.
Overall, The Memory Ward is an addictive and mind-bending novel told in a very original structure. With its thought-provoking narrative and open-ended, perplexing conclusion, it’s a story that lingers and demands discussion afterwards. Readers who enjoy spectacular fiction, horror, and mind-bending narratives should immediately grab a copy and enjoy the wild ride!
