Memory

By: Donald E. Westlake

Narrated by: Stephen R. Thorne

Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

Hospitalized after a liaison with another man's wife ends in violence, Paul Cole has just one goal: to rebuild his shattered life. But with his memory damaged, the police hounding him, and no way to even get home, Paul's facing steep odds - and a bleak fate if he fails.

This final, never-before-published novel by three-time Edgar Award winner Donald E. Westlake is a noir masterpiece, a dark and painful portrait of a man's struggle against merciless forces that threaten to strip him of his very identity.

©2010 Donald E. Westlake (P)2010 BBC Audio

Critic reviews

"[T]his is no typical Westlake novel; in fact, in many ways it’s one of his most interesting books, simply because it’s so very different. For his fans, absolutely a must-read." ( Booklist)

Another Westlake master work

Reluctant to give anything away. Perhaps I’m more affected by this due to recent incidents with a long time friend, but if you’ve ever thought about your memory, you may feel as I do.

Gripping and fascinating.

I love Westlake's writing and this was so different. I was hooked from the start!

The accident of existence

Memory is a departure from the usual story-based novel, not only for Westlake, but for most writers. The central character, Paul Cole, has the kind of internalized perceptions found in the protagonists of Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment or Camus' The Stranger. Their world is defined by a logic which conflicts with the expectations of others. Cole is driven, not by circumstances, but by their refusal to fit together in a way that will allow him to re-establish his forgotten way of life.
This is a very interesting and ambitious mode of story-telling, because Westlake lets the reader see ahead of his hapless protagonist and sense the outcome of Paul Cole's groping attempts at regaining his memory. The theme of the book stands as a kind of metaphor for the accidental nature of life. Events appear to be cyclical, but they are spiral, the circles never quite overlap.

Great!

I really loved It and the narrator is great!The story is fascinating and profound.

Great Story....

Narrator was awesome, story hooked me....ending was abrupt. It wasn't what I expected---- totally different!

Good story well told.

Good story and and the narration serves the mood very well. I miss the Dortmumder novels though.

Great Story Well Read

I loved this story. It was so well told by the writer and reader too. It made me feel aggravated, both for the protagonist and at him. You have to remind yourself that the way he is acting is not his fault. Sort of like talking to someone who can’t hear well and is always interrupting or asking “huh?” It’s irritating, but then you feel guilty for getting irritated (even though you never let your irritation show hopefully) because you know they can’t help it and if it were you you’d be doing the same thing. This story was not at all what I expected. I didn’t really have expectations except for it to be a crime story, but it wasn’t really. Unless it was somehow a crime story and I missed it. What I got is that it’s more about memory and identity and how without the first you don’t have the second and are then in a constant state of uncertainty and vulnerability. I enjoyed it very much though and really wanted the protagonist to get a hold of a sense of self he could be somewhat confident about. I don’t want to ruin it by saying whether he does or not. Hopefully this review isn’t worthless. Enjoy.

A very poor and disappointing book

I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. I persisted to the end thinking that Paul Kohl would finally have some reasonable conclusion in this story. At 20 minutes left I realized that I was in trouble. A very dark and depressing story with really nothing good to be said about it. The absolutely worst book I've ever purchased from Audible.

Review of Memory

Ouch. Couldn't finish it. I love Donald Westlake in all his guises, from the tough to the goofy. This is Donald Westlake as Camus. It's horrifying from beginning to end. Really creepy with no let up and little nuance. (Went to the end to check this out.) I'm not saying it's bad, just that it's far, far, from the mature Donald Westlake. To read a book that is this much of a downer, the sentences have to glow. Nothing glows here. Stephen Thorne does a great job as reader, but his load is too heavy. Regret buying it.

I still can't believe it happened

I love Westlake and while this is a completely different style in all ways and while it was depressing in its reality, it could have been among his best, EXCEPT, the ending. The ending was so weird and abrupt i still can't believe it was the end. If the Moderator had not come back on telling us that "This has been ..." i would be sure the file was corrupted and it was not the end. The reader was great though!