It has been a LOOOONG time since I read a book that had me so hooked, I literally couldn’t put it down. There have been books that I read pretty non-stop to read in a day or two, but I would say this is the first book in about a decade that made it so I literally could not sleep until I found out the end.
The Memory of Us by Camille Di Maio follows the story of two young people from different worlds and on entirely different paths who find one another and, you guessed it, fall in love.
This book had so many interwoven details, characters, and side story lines, I was constantly on the edge of my seat wanting to know how they would all turn out. There are several times when it seems impossible that the characters will get what you want them to have, and the wait to find out was tortuously satisfying.
While reading this book, at different times I felt excited, elated, angry, shocked, heartbroken, and more! I realize I am being pretty vague, but I truly hope you go and read this book now, and I don’t want to rob you of any of the twists and turns provided.
The day after I stayed up half the night reading it, I couldn’t help buy tell my students about this great book I read, and I agree with what they said. Someone should make a movie out of this!
I am tempted to not give a perfect review because I’m a little bitter about some of the ways the book broke my heart, but I have decided not to blame the book for that. It was so well done, I can forgive it. If you like World War II and World War II adjacent historical fiction and feeling so strongly about characters and plot that they rip your guts out, then this is a book for you. Two enthusiastic thumbs up!
Dawn Ludlow 