Title: The Memory Box
Author: Eva Lesko Natiello
# Pages: 288
Published: 2014
Rating: 4 stars
The Memory Box is Natiello’s first novel. She studied psychology at The State University of New York at Albany, and her insights into the human mind and character allowed her to write an incredible psychological thriller. I couldn’t put it down, and by the end I think I might have had more questions than answers! This is a great book for a book club since it will allow for lively and thrilling discussions.
The novel begins with a group of soccer moms who, in typical mean girls’ style, spend their spare time Googling each other trying to find out the biggest dirt. Caroline, one of the moms, decides to Google herself to make sure there isn’t anything the other moms can use on her. What she finds is completely unexpected–her twin sister, who she’s sure she just spoke with, died several years prior. How does one forget the death of a twin? The more she digs, the more unbelievable information she
Caroline’s journey is centered around the loss of her sister and what that loss means. As a twin, I could not comprehend how someone could forget that their womb-mate has died! How much does her husband know? Where are her parents? Why does she think she has regular conversations with someone who is no longer living? How can her entire life be a lie? Read this book to (maybe) discover the answers to these questions and many more!
Favorite Quotes:
“It’s impossible to un-know a secret. Once you know it, you own it. It can’t be returned like a borrowed book. Or burned like a love letter. The click of a mouse won’t delete it from the conscious mind. It’ll stick to the walls of your memory like dried oatmeal to a dish. The secrets you wish you never knew become a burden to lug.”
“[T]he emotional scars of children can take a lifetime to heal. If they do at all.”