Tell Me An Ending is written as a collection of stories written from the POV of MANY characters. Their storylines don't cross over which was a wee bit disappointing. I think the book is mainly character based as not a lot happens to progress the story as a whole. It focuses on each character and the moral and ethical implications of having a memory erased. I liked the concept of, "are you who you are without your memories" and whether living your life not knowing about your past is better for you, depending on what that memory is?

One for those who enjoy mid-paced books with multiple POV. Definitely gets the brain working!

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC. The existing reviews cover the concept of the book; I don’t think I need to elaborate further on that. I liked how it explores the unintended consequences of the memory wipes. There were a lot of characters, with individual stories. The author jumped between the stories frequently and I was pretty far into the book before I was able to keep them separate in my mind. I’m not overly keen on stories which I feel I need a spreadsheet to follow. However, it was an interesting story, and became an easier read as it went on.

”If someone’s 90 per cent awful and 10 per cent great, everyone says that deep down they’re great. Like they’re an iceberg but all the greatness is under the water –and invisible. But actually, the truth is, they’re just 90 per cent awful.’”


SUMMARY
Nepenthe is a clinic that hands out memory deletions as though they were antidepressants. After law suits were won in court, in favour of the clients, Nepenthe is ordered to offer memory restorations to clients who are self-confidential (don’t know they had a memory deleted).

This story follows different people and how the philosophical issues of memory deletion affects them. Dr. Noor Ali, one of the senior doctors in Nepenthe discovers Nepenthe doesn’t always have the best interest of the clients at heart, and wonders how far will we sacrifice health for the advancement of science?

Finn, an Irish architect in a loving relationship with his wife Mirande, who suddenly finds out that years ago she had a memory deletion. Finn finds himself incredibly suspicious of her, especially when it came to her and her ex boyfriend, David.

Mei, a young girl who went through a memory deletion but is now suffering flashbacks of houses she’s never seen before and voices she’s never heard before.

William, whose PTSD is as rocky to navigate as his marriage, has to decide whether he wants to restore his memory, or totally delete any remnants of his PTSD.

Oscar, the most obscure of them all. He’s convinced he’s done something incredibly bad in the past, involving a gun. His memory loss is so severe he’s unsure of his core self, and what he’s capable of.

As their lives intertwine and the great big philosophical questions of the universe are asked, how will these different people respond to their personal trauma?

OPINION
I feel like the writing in Tell Me An Ending by Jo Harkin is, to put it frankly, superior. There’s a scientific fiction themed plot, yet the writing had this gorgeously contemporary feel to it. It was really refreshing. Also, the amounts of quotes I saved could almost write a novella.

”The future is here, thinks Noor, and it wasn’t thought through.”


JH handles the creation of morally grey characters seemingly without effort. The varied trials and tribulations they go through all felt incredibly realistic. I sincerely enjoyed this authors ability to tell lots of little story arcs and intertwine those to make one big overarching novel.

”Heaven is knowledge of goodness, hell is knowledge of evil. Purgatory is not knowing which is which.”


My one and only blemish would be the slow pacing. Most times, it suited the story. Other times, I felt my attention wandering a bit (also doesn’t help I’m an incredibly busy mum, I guess.)

RECOMMENDATION
I usually recommend based on genre, which would be those who enjoy sci-fi, however I think that anyone who likes fiction would enjoy this. It is worth keeping in mind that the sci-fi aspect of the novel feels more life like than other health treatments offered today

I personally felt this offered much but failed on delivery. However I really liked the idea about memory and the chance where a memory could be hidden if someone wanted it to be. Also the consequences of doing so or if someone had it done but something went wrong later so it seeps out. Potentially fascinating.

We all have things we would rather forget. We all have things that we have blocked out, particularly if they are traumatic or paint us in a poor light. Just look at Schwarzenegger in Total Recall. He found out he was a bad guy.
Tell me AN Ending is a darkly comic and unsettling novel in which the process of forgetting has been monetized by an unscrupulous company. Some people have had their memories removed and forgotten about it. The story follows a number of people who are faced with the dilemma of whether or not to remember what they have forgotten. I maintain that the memories will always bleed through and that seems to be borne out by this thoughtful and occasionally upsetting book.

I really wanted to love this book, but alas, I had to DNF it (at least for now). I got to 60%, but by then I noticed I was just trying to get through it and wasn't enjoying the reading experience.

The book is told as a series of stories, which we circle back around. I think the problem is that by the time we go back to a specific character, it's been so long that I could barely remember who it was or why their story mattered. The mystery of Louise and RASA kept me interested, but eventually I realised I wasn't willing to fight through the whole book to discover what the whole thing was about.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

This is not the usual sort of book I would read but I did find it very interesting. Definitely worth a read.

I very much liked the sound of this book with an intriguing topic being explored but unfortunately the book did not hold my attention. I think the individual stories were thought provoking but I did not think it was all tied up neatly at the end which did frustrate me. I can see the majority of people liked it and gave it four stars so it must be judged totally on an individual basis.

I loved the premise of this book ... a world where bad memories can be deleted and to a large extent I though that this book did deliver on what the publisher's description offers. Although initially I struggled with the fact that several different story lines/protagonist's view points were considered one after the other, it soon became clear that there were obviously links between the different characters, and I thought that the author succeeded well in pulling the diverse threads together. I have rated this a four star - I would give it a 4.5 if I could - mainly because I found the 'main character' who was working at Nepenthe just not quite believable. I thought that this was otherwise an excellent read for those who love dystopian fiction and I am grateful to NetGalley to giving me the chance to read an early copy

What if you lived in a world where you could not only delete your worst memory but also get to choose whether you’re aware you have deleted it? This is the topic of “Tell Me An Ending”. For years, the Nepenthe clinic has been erasing people’s worst memories …well almost. After it was found that “traces” of your worst memory can still remain to haunt you, the clinic is ordered to contact everyone who has the procedure and offer to reinstate their memories. For four patients it’s decision time - but what did they erase and why?

Let me start by saying I LOVED the concept of this book. It’s a fantastic idea for a speculative thriller. I really liked the sardonic tone of Noor, who works in the clinic and I was fascinated by most of the lives of the people who had their memory erased. There was one narrative I didn’t feel added much to the book. I did feel it started to drag a little in the last third of the book and I got impatient for less soul searching from the characters and more answers. The ending felt a little rushed and I felt there was some unanswered questions.

However, from the first page this book made me think - what would I do? What would I erase? It has a lot of interesting arguments around trauma and what causes the “least harm” and I am glad to have read it.

Thank you to Jo Harkin, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This multiple character viewpoint novel is a reflection on the impact of choosing to delete memories and the further impact of regaining those memories. It is a disquieting read and one which should be experienced in several sittings rather than read from cover to cover in one go. The story is well written and the characters are sensitively drawn in order to show human nature with all the flaws and worth in each.

The premise was so intriguing. Pegged as eternal sunshine meets black mirror which are two of my favourite things so I was very excited to read this. Unfortunately I may have put it on too high of a pedestal as it fell quite flat. It felt like a collection of very unrelated short stories, which works in the cases of books that all come together at the end ie John Marrs, but none of these seemed to relate. Great idea but needs work.

This novel imagines a world where it is possible to have a memory removed, usually one of a traumatic event or difficult experience. (The author neatly sidesteps the inevitable comparisons to The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind by having her characters discuss the film openly, which I thought worked well.) The novel is divided into multiple narratives, each concerning different characters, including Noor, who works at Nepenthe, the memory removal clinic, Oscar, a young man with a jumbled mind and a fear he is being followed, and William, a retired policeman with PTSD and a crumbling marriage. The novel follows the events that unfold after it is revealed that Nepenthe's memory removal service is not as complete as previously believed, with some people experiencing strange 'traces' - particularly alarming for those who opted to also wipe their memory of having their memory wiped. The clinic is forced to contact all ex patients and offer them the chance to have their deleted memory restored. As each character struggles with what this means for them, their stories begin to intertwine, and we realise something much more sinister is going on.

This was a book filled with interesting concepts and characters. I enjoyed the slowly unwinding reveal as the characters discovered their own stories and memories (reminiscent of the film Memento). The author has left many of the questions raised throughout throughout the book unanswered, which is slightly frustrating, but ties in with many of the themes of the novel.
I found that I was reluctant to put it down, so overall, a good enjoyable read!

I’ve just finished reading this book and I’m still not sure what I really think about it.

It’s a really interesting premise. A company is wiping people’s memories and is operating on two fronts: one where patients know exactly what they’re doing and one which happens overnight to patients who don’t know it’s happening. The story follows 5 characters: a doctor at the clinic and 4 patients. They all have different levels of knowledge about the things the clinic is doing and the patients have choices to make about whether the treatments they have had should be undone or not.

I love Black Mirror and the worlds it creates. I also really like literature that explores the future and the near future. Unfortunately I didn’t get on with this book at all. I found the characters very difficult to like and the writing felt quite clunky in places. This meant I was never fully emerged in the world and I didn’t really have any interest in what happened to the characters. The ending also felt very unfulfilling.

I think the book would be great for a TV adaptation but it just doesn’t work as a novel. There’s not enough character development and I didn’t feel any sense of jeopardy.

I thought this was an interesting premise but the execution was difficult to read and I just couldn't get in to it. I DNF

Nepenthe is a tech company that deletes traumatic memories and Dr Noor Ali is one of it’s employees working as part of the post treatment follow up. Noor lives alone and her whole life revolves around her work with little time for anything else. Unfortunately Nepenthe has been taken to court and the company have been made to offer a memory restoration service. This has come about because some of the patients have had flash backs and PTSD linked to the memories reasserting themselves. However, many patients chose to have no memory of having the procedure done but suddenly they receive a letter asking them to contact Nepenthe if they wish to have their memory restored.
The story unfolds through the eyes and voices of some of Nepenthe’s patients and their own personal journey with memories lost and retrieved.The multi-faceted tale comes together through Noor and how she begins to question what she is doing. Does removing a memory give you peace of mind? Do you get your happily ever after? Each voice in the novel, Mei, William, Finn and Oscar, has had a different experience and grapples with their loved ones over whether to reinstate the memory or continue moving forward with their lives.

This is a complex narrative with many strands building together to complete the story. Although sci-fi is not a genre I read I was hooked from the very first page and was surprised to realise this was the debut novel for Jo Harkin. I cannot reccommend this book more highly, I was totally engaged from page one and the characters really draw you in to the point that you feel their pain and their joy.

I cannot wait to read more from this author.

I found it quite uncomfortable to read, you can’t really settle into it, the use of short sentences add to this but it doesn’t allow the reader to get into any real flow. It was a really compelling subject and makes you think of your own past and decisions, I didn’t connect with any of the characters, and it wasn’t quite as grabbing as I expecting,

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK, Cornerstone, and Hutchinson Heinemann for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Tell me an ending is a book that had a lot of potential but was a little slow in its development. The premise is that we are in a near future where people are able to delete certain traumatic memories. It is, however, found that traces of these memories tend to remain and, in order to appear ethical and transparent, the clinic who removed memories in the first place must offer everyone an opportunity to restore whatever they deleted.

The book follows five characters with alternating POVs and I feel this really slowed down my reading. At the beginning, I only cared about two of the characters, Noor and Mei. So, when the chapter header changed, I found myself rolling my eyes because I didn't particularly care about say, Finn.
As the book unfolds, there are some tenuous connections made between the five characters so that they are no longer perfect strangers and we found out who crossed paths with who. As the book went on, I became less invested in Noor and more in Oscar.

It's very hard to write commentary without spoiling the plot, this book was supposed to examine philosophy and morality and make a great conversation starter, but what little action there is unfolds very slowly. I almost DNF at times but it's not something that I tend to do unless a book is really, really bad I will stick with it until the end. Getting to the 80% or so mark I started feeling relief that we were nearly there and that a great amount of the questions and mysteries raised throughout the narrative were getting resolved.

Ultimately, the reader will want to know which characters will get their memories restored and what it was they had deleted, which *is* answered in all but one scenarios. I feel that the story was good, but the pacing not so much. The characters all seem to have a fair amount of internal monologue and analysing their own emotions which made for very static reading at times. I feel it didn't quite get the balance right between action and character study.

Tell me an ending is released in a month's time, on 12th May 2022.

Well if you could remove the most traumatic. And painful memories from your life would you? That’s the premise of this book but after they have been removed what happens if you discover you had them removed without your knowledge and now flashes are coming back. This is a dark story which made me sit on the fence over the right and wrong of this idea but it is a fascinating read told from the perspective of doctors and patients.