The Museum of Forgotten Memories

Author: Anstey Harris
Genre: Family, fiction, loss
Buy: Kindle Edition; Paperback

The Covers

The Museum of Forgotten Memories is a title that catches, but I was attracted to the cover as well. I definitely prefer the cover of my library book over the one from Amazon. Not only the typeset of my book is more elegant, it also does not have the picture of a bear pretending to be scary. By the way, the Australia and New Zealand copies are from Simon and Schuster, while the Amazon cover is from Gallery Books.

A summary of the book:

Story

Told in the point of view of Cate Harris, the story starts with her trying to arrive at Crouch-on- Sea on time. The first person narrative works for me, because I can relate well to her. Her son, Leo, sounds difficult, hints of something, but she stubbornly refuses to tell the world what it is. Cate is desperate, now that she can no longer afford to stay in London, she has to return to the place where her husband was born and raised: Hatters Museum of Wide Wide World.

Nothing is easy at the moment for her. She struggles with the reality of her husband’s death, and her new reality. Leo seems to adapt well, although there are some hiccups here and there. The caretaker of the museum, Araminta, appears to be trying to shut her out as well. As Cate and Leo settle into a new life in town, Cate unearths a few new secrets of her late husbands. There is nothing complicated about the book, it is a simple book that can weave a spell using nothing but emotions.

As Cate finds a new balance with Araminta, more skeletons pop out from the closet. In the end, Cate must confront the past to move on. The ending was not shocking, but it fits into the narrative. While there are no big arcs and climaxes for the book, there is certain joy and happiness when you reach the end with the family.

Verdict

The problem with Museum of Forgotten Memories is that I cannot say much without spoiling it. The book itself is a journey to healing and realizing that we are more than we think. Cate might be bruised and battered, but she soldiers on like a mother. The author creates a beautiful setting and a strong background story, so that it is easy for everyone to relate to the character’s struggles.

It is definitely worth the stars that it has in many book review places, because it is a page turner without frills.