The Memory Collectors
Four strangers get the chance to go back in time for one hour and revisit a moment at random with Aeon Expeditions, or so they think. Once their sixty minutes begin, they realize they’re revisiting the week each of their lives changed forever. When the hour is up and they find themselves stuck in the past, they start to interact in the past and see their paths have been intertwined in more ways than one all along.
This started off so well. I was weepy from the start as Elizabeth travels in time and notices all the little details she never did back then. She is fully present as she relives a simple hour in her son’s childhood. She’s a heartbroken mother, and it’s her story that draws readers in. As other characters are introduced, we see they too have their own losses and heartache as well. Each of them is searching for answers and meaning.
The way the characters and their stories overlapped reminded me a bit of “A Little Hope” by Ethan Joella, although there were fewer people to keep track of and this one has a time travel element, of course. The book explores regret, grief, and time in such a delicate way for so much of it, but once I got back to the present time along with the characters, I felt rushed to the finish line. What felt very deep and thoughtful for most of the book became a bit contrived and convenient by the ending. I’m not certain what changes I would want to appreciate the ending more; I just know that for me as a reader, the ending fell flat while the opening and middle hit me strongly with emotion and empathy.
Overall, I enjoyed Meserve’s writing style and most of this story. I would still recommend it, but I wish that my 5-star prediction had been fulfilled with as strong an ending as the rest of the novel. Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the DRC. All thoughts are my own.
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