The Memory Wood by Sam Lloyd

My Review:

Don't trust Sam Lloyd!!!!! He's devilishly clever and whilst he may not deliberately mislead you, he’ll most certainly allow you to mislead yourself.  I made the mistake of treating The Memory Wood as a jolly romp set in America. This gave me a misplaced sense of safety based on both my media fueled stereotypes and need to believe that girls are only abducted far far away. Lloyd is so devious because he plays on the reader's subconscious belief that things like this just don't happen here and manages to imbue the opening pages with an American vibe but nothing more, I did that myself! It means the first jolt comes early on with not just the kidnap of Elissa but also from where it takes place.

Lloyd's depiction of the young Elissa and Elijah are excellent and totally plausible, it's a rare gift to be able to portray the young accurately, with all their angst, without falling into clichés. Both Elissa and Elijah are fully rounded and realistic which allows the reader to buy into the authenticity of the narrative. Mairead is also a wonderful creation of Lloyd's, she's driven in the way a superintendent needs to be without ever becoming a caricature. Her backstory adds a heartrending subtext to The Memory Wood that's interwoven throughout the search for Elissa. 

The Memory Wood is a book full of jaw dropping moments that I cannot praise highly enough. It's a thrilling read that intersperses seamlessly between the three first person narratives of Elissa, Elijah and Detective Superintendent Mairead MacCullagh. Lloyd keeps the reader surmising and engrossed by both the use of the three narrators but also the non-linear timeline. Again, Lloyd does not mislead you but you will mislead yourself and only afterwards realise that it's not what he said but more how you interpreted it. Bravo Sam Lloyd on a spectacular novel that is easily worth 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟.

Thank you to Anne Cater for inviting me to be part of this tour.