Book Review: The Memory Ward by Jon Bassoff

This post contains affiliate links, which means that we’ll earn
a small commission if you make a purchase through these links.

“The truth is on the wall.”

📚

Postal worker Hank Davies resides in Bethlam, Nevada, a picturesque town epitomizing perfection where things are so flawless, they begin to feel off, especially after Hank realizes the letters he delivers are full of blank pages. Then comes a stranger, who knocks on his window in the dead of night and tells him to inspect his bedroom wall, where he finds hidden papers filled with a tale so bizarre, it’s either a mind-blowing revelation or utter insanity. And when he begins probing beyond his community’s sparkling veneer, Hank is soon plunged into a distressing new existence. What’s real and what isn’t, and can Hank differentiate between the two and expose the truth before it’s too late?

Creepy, addictive, and oozing unease, The Memory Ward is a quiet suburban horror story where each day is the same and everything feels a bit too good to be true. The narrative unfolds through a nesting doll-esque structure that employs epistolary interjections, producing a tense and cinematic setting and atmosphere where suspicion blankets every page and Bethlam’s eerie and sinister backstory casts a disquieting pall.

People act strangely, lives are too idyllic, and memories are crisp and perfectly, absurdly detailed. It’s a place where breadcrumbs of fact and hints of actuality simmer, and where reality is malleable at best and factuality darker than one could ever imagine. Think Pleasantville meets The Truman Show, Don’t Worry Darling, and Disturbing Behavior — a bingeable, page-turning exploration of humanity and identity, health and history, choice and trauma.

Thank you to Jon Bassoff and Night Worms for the gifted copy, won via Night Worms giveaway. The Memory Ward is a mysterious and gripping work sure to captivate a wide range of readers.

🖤Amanda

Disclaimer

Many books featured on this blog were purchased by us; however, we do accept publisher-, author-, and other source-provided copies (both advanced reader copies (ARCs) and finished copies) from publishers, authors, and other sources we deem to be a good fit for our reading preferences and blog. Posts and reviews that feature such copies are disclosed. For more information, refer to the Disclaimer & Disclosures section.

Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links, which means that when you click one of those links and make a purchase, we earn a small commission paid by the retailers, at no additional cost to you. These links will take you to books and other products that we like, trust, and believe will be beneficial to our readers. Affiliate programs use cookies to track visits in order to assign sale-related commissions; funds earned keep the Site up and running and allow us to continue to share reviews and other content. Thank you for your support!