The Memory Index

By: Julian Ray Vaca

Narrated by: Sophia Buller, Tyler Kwiatkowski

In this electric speculative YA sci/fi novel, the world treats memories like currency, so dreams can be a complicated business. Perfect for fans of Neal Stephenson and Philip K. Dick.

In an alternative 1987, a disease ravages human memories. There is no cure, only artificial recall. The lucky ones—the recollectors—need the treatment only once a day.

Freya Izquierdo isn’t lucky. The high school senior is a “degen” who needs artificial recall several times a day. Plagued by blinding half-memories that take her to her knees, she’s desperate to remember everything that will help her investigate her father’s violent death. When her sleuthing almost lands her in jail, a shadowy school dean selects her to attend his Foxtail Academy, where five hundred students will trial a new tech said to make artificial recall obsolete.

She’s the only degen on campus. Why was she chosen? Freya is nothing like the other students, not even her new friends Ollie, Chase, and the alluring Fletcher Cohen. Definitely not at all like the students who start to vanish, one by one. And nothing like the mysterious Dean Mendelsohn, who has a bunker deep in the woods behind the school.

Nothing can prepare Freya and her friends for the truth of what that bunker holds. And what kind of memories she’ll have to access to survive it.

“Vaca’s debut is a thrilling and often unsettling examination of the elusive nature of memory and truth. The Memory Index will leave you breathlessly turning pages until its satisfying conclusion.” —Jonathan Evison, New York Times bestselling author of Small World

Get hooked on The Memory Index Duology:

• Book 1: The Memory Index
• Book 2: The Recall Paradox (coming Spring 2023)

Critic reviews

**One of Book Riot's Books to Add to Your TBR - August 2022**

**One of Bustle's Most Anticipated Books of August 2022**

**One of SCRIBD's Best Books of August 2022**

A clever and empathetic work of speculative fiction that examines the power and fragility of memory, recommended for general purchase. Cinematic writing, teen sleuthing, and a nostalgic setting make this book a great recommendation to fans of Stranger Things.

An exciting sci-fi premise with loads of opportunity for world-bending consequences that speak to the loss of privacy and proliferation of data mining that dog us today . . . Vaca capitalizes on opportunities to surprise us. He also creates a rich atmosphere that's dotted with cultural touchstones . . . a heady sci-fi tale with heart.

This speculative YA story is heavy on '80s nostalgia, making it an atmospheric read with elements of adventure and mystery.

Vaca . . . tackles real-world issues of racism, capitalism, politics, and the exploitation of youth by those in power . . . The Memory Index actively examines its own reality . . . Vaca's storytelling is immersive, opening with a high-speed car chase reminiscent of something out of a Fast and amp; Furious or Mission Impossible movie.

Vaca's mind-bending, 1987-set debut centers a quartet of teens attempting to uncover the secrets behind Memory Killer, a disease afflicting humankind that renders people unable to retain a large portion of their memories without artificial aid . . . Via expansive worldbuilding and complex characters, Vaca adeptly combines a mysterious disease, corporate malfeasance, a sprinkling of romance, and good old-fashioned teen sleuthing to deliver an absorbing adventure.

Great Storyline!

This was a really great read. I kind of like the fact that the story takes place in an alternate 1980's. It was a very interesting concept to have memories being saves on casset tapes. I can remember how easy it was to break or tear the tape inside. If this really happened, I would have lost so many memories. I really enjoyed the characters and will definitely be reading the sequal.

Not your typical YA SciFi ⚡🔋⚡ this one's charged!

This is like if Christopher Nolan, sporting an 80s mullet was rocking down the PCH in a DeLorean Alpha5 with Tears for Fears blasting while day dreaming about the next YA novel he was going to write. Vaca makes those day dreams a reality with his explosive debut! Wow! It's 90s anime vibes and heady SCI-FI concepts weave into a world full of grounded emotion that Vaca feeds into each character. It burns bright and only gets brighter the further you read. Hold onto your seat. It's a trip!

I.E. Total Recall meets Riverdale. Breakfast Club meets Severance. The Goonies meets The Matrix.

p.s. The sequel is coming soon!!!

Entertaining! On the edge of my seat!

Fresh, thought provoking story that dances wonderfully between nostalgia & a futuristic new world. Can’t wait for the next book!

Perfect for fans of dystopian and Stranger Things!

Fans of Stranger Things (and 80s nostalgia) will adore this exciting and thoughtful YA dystopian novel! As someone with several family members with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, I was drawn in by the richly imagined world of memory restoration and stuck around for the mystery and relatable characters. Can’t wait for book 2!