The Memory Artists

✍ Scribed by Jeffrey Moore

• Publisher: Macmillan;Penguin Canada
• Year: 2004;2005
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 528 KB
• Category: Fiction
• ISBN: 0312349254

✦ Synopsis

SUMMARY:
Winner of the Canadian Authors Association Award for Best Novel Noel Burun has synesthesia and hypermnesia: he sees words in vibrant explosions of colors and shapes, which collide and commingle to form a memory so bitingly perfect that he can remember everything, from the 1001 stories ofThe Arabian Nightsto the color of his bib as a toddler. But for all his mnemonic abilities, he is confronted every day with a reality that is as sad as it is ironic: his beloved mother, Stella, is stricken with Alzheimer's disease, her memory slowly slipping into the quicksands of oblivion.The Memory Artistsfollows Noel, helped by a motley cast of friends, on his quest to find a cure for his mother's affliction. The results are at the same time darkly funny, quirkily inventive, and very moving. Alternating between third-person narratives and the diaries of Noel and Stella, Jeffrey Moore weaves a story filled with fantastic characters and a touch of suspense that gets at the very heart of what it means to remember and forget, and that is a testament to the uplifting power of family and friendship. Jeffrey Moorewas educated at the University of Toronto and the Sorbonne. He works as a translator and also lectures at the University of Montreal. His first novel,Prisoner in a Red-Rose Chain,won the Commonwealth Prize for Best First Book in 2000. Jeff divides his time between Montreal and Val-Morin, Quebec. Winner of the Canadian Authors Association Award for Best Novel ADaily TelegraphBook of the Year Noel Burun has synesthesia and hypermnesia: he sees words in vibrant explosions of colors and shapes, which collide and commingle to form a memory so bitingly perfect that he can remember everything, from the 1001 stories ofThe Arabian Nightsto the color of his bib as a toddler. But for all his mnemonic abilities, he is confronted every day with a reality that is as sad as it is ironic: his beloved mother, Stella, is stricken with Alzheimer's disease, her memory slowly slipping into the quicksands of oblivion.The Memory Artistsfollows Noel, helped by a motley cast of friends, on his quest to find a cure for his mother's affliction. The results are at the same time darkly funny, quirkily inventive, and very moving. Alternating between third-person narratives and the diaries of Noel and Stella, Jeffrey Moore weaves a story filled with fantastic characters and a touch of suspense that gets at the very heart of what it means to remember and forget, and that is a testament to the uplifting power of family and friendship. "Combines smartness with wisdom . . . Almost absurdly inventive."David Mitchell, author ofCloud Atlas "Rich and humane, a repository of culture worth remembering, and a moving elaboration on the simple truth that we should do good for others."Colin McAdam, author ofSome Great Thing "A model of inventiveness . . . very moving. Jeffrey Moore shows great skill in his depictions of people's feelings. The decadent affectations of Norval, the immaturity of JJ and the feminine insecurities of Samira are all drawn with elegance."LondonTimes Literary Supplement "Canadian novelist Jeffrey Moore's finely honed wit had me barking with laughter . . . engaging characters, and a fine balance of warmth, insight, and eviscerating humour."The Independent "An exceptionally fine example of crossword-puzzle postmodernism: a game to savour, a half-equation to be completed with utter delight. Yet the story is unforgettably human . . . exhilaratingly riskyleaves the reader spellbound."Scotlandon Sunday