Noel Burun has hypermnesia and synaesthesia: his memory is unrelentingly exact and when people speak he sees their words as vibrant explosions of colour, often leaving him befuddled and bewildered. His mother Stella, on the other hand, is slowly sinking into the quicksand of Alzheimer's. A man who remembers too much, and a woman who remembers too little -- both struggle to make sense of their worlds in a house bloated with memories. Norval is Noel's double: a one-time novelist and full-time Lothario whose memory is tainted ...
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Noel Burun has hypermnesia and synaesthesia: his memory is unrelentingly exact and when people speak he sees their words as vibrant explosions of colour, often leaving him befuddled and bewildered. His mother Stella, on the other hand, is slowly sinking into the quicksand of Alzheimer's. A man who remembers too much, and a woman who remembers too little -- both struggle to make sense of their worlds in a house bloated with memories. Norval is Noel's double: a one-time novelist and full-time Lothario whose memory is tainted by an unfinished love story. He, along with Samira, who is trying to escape a former identity, and JJ-who is trapped by nostalgia for his childhood -- all have a role to play in Noel's sometimes heartbreaking, and often hilarious, quest to find a cure for his mother's condition. THE MEMORY ARTISTS is the outstanding, hilarious second novel from a writer whose work is so "full of quirks and quick-turns, wit and erudition" (The Guardian) that readers will find it impossible to put down.
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Seller's Description:
Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. Though second-hand, the book is still in very good shape. Minimal signs of usage may include very minor creasing on the cover or on the spine.
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Seller's Description:
Fine in fine dust jacket. First Edition. A hardback First Edition in Fine condition, in a Very Good dustjacket. This book is in stock now, in our UK premises. Photos of our books are available on request (the pictures you see on Alibris are NOT our own).
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Good. Good condition. A copy that has been read but remains intact. May contain markings such as bookplates, stamps, limited notes and highlighting, or a few light stains.
The Memory Artists centers around Noel Burun, a young man who suffers from hypermnesia, a condition that allows him to remember absolutely everything, as well as synaesthesia, a condition that causes colors and shapes to appear in his mind when he hears words. While a genius in so many areas thanks to his phenomenal memory, the strain of so many memories, along with the zone outs he has when conversations trigger a blast of colors, prevents Noel from holding down any sort of normal job. Instead, Noel is an employee and research patient of Dr. Vorta, a neuropsychiatrist, whose actions maybe less than ethical. Amongst Vorta's other patients include Norval Blacquiere, a young man currently in the midst of a performance art piece wherein he'll sleep with 26 women in 26 weeks in alphabetical order by first name; Samira Darwish, a former Arab actress who is suffering from short term amnesia after a date-rape scare and is now the object of Noel's shy affections; JJ Yelle, a man with bountless optimism and childlike enthusiasm to near manic levels.
The four patients, the Memory Artists, ban together in a kind of ragtag team to help Noel in his greatest time of need. Having lost his chemist father to suicide at a young age, Noel and his mother Stella only had each other. Now at age 56, Stella is rapidly succumbing to (ironically) Alzheimer's. Determined to find a cure before losing his mother completely, Noel dusts off his father's lab and notebooks to create a cure. By the middle of the book, events have transpired that Norval, Samira and JJ all end up living in the dilapidated Burun mansion with Noel and Stella and each (in their own way) play a part in Noel's desperate search for a cure.
The plot of this novel is mildly interesting at best. The book is written in such a way that you get excerpts of each character's life by journal entries, newspaper cutouts, (and most annoyingly) endnotes. Because of this kind of structure, the true gem of this book are the excellent characters. Apart from one or two flat players, just about everyone manages to evoke a strong sense of compassion. Even the excessively cynical and wanton Norval shows a likeable dimension to himself by way of his close friendship with Noel. Actually, I'd say the most interesting portion of the book is that which focuses on the relationship between Norval and Noel. Norval, who comes off as a more depraved version of Christian Troy from "Nip/Tuck" (yes, it is possible) shares only the same initials and a physical resemblance to Noel. How they became friends and remained friends is a bit of a mystery, although it's obvious that both men have a great affection for one another, despite Norval's constant declarations that he hates all and likes none.
As a writer, Moore definitely has a talent for creating endearing characters and with it has written one of the most fun, delightful books I've read in awhile.
