Quercus Books, May 3, 2016.
Three Stars
In an alternate version of London, following a brutal
civil war, the city is divided between the poor and the elite. Spiritual
figures hide away for years, creating brilliant compositions to be played
throughout the city – and their melodies are used to erase the memories of the
citizens of this new world. With no ability to form new memories, and no written
language, the people live day to day, unable to advance beyond the oppression
of the elite.
Simon is not much more than a child when he travels
to London, following the memory of a name given to him by his mother. He ends
up joining a group of almost feral young people who spend their days searching
the slums for valuable objects, and their nights using their own possessions to
recall “objectmemories” – the wisps of former feelings tied up in an important
object. They are able to function daily by using physical memory – the body’s
ability to recall its repetitive actions of the day before. Simon’s days would have
continued on like this forever, except he realizes that he, like his mother
before him, has a special ability to hold onto memories.
The world Smaill has created is filthy and oppressive
– but it is also unique and beautiful. This reimagined London is filled with
music, and musical descriptors, such as lento and presto, are sprinkled
throughout its new language. It is a creative vocabulary, unusual yet easy to
understand in the context of the story. Sensory and descriptive, Simon’s world
is filled with a sense of wonder – unfortunately, the dialogue between
characters wasn’t nearly as strong. It was the undeveloped conversations that
most made me feel like this novel should be marketed as young adult.
The Chimes is an original and inventive dystopia. It is a world run by a
mysterious group called The Order, but the power of the novel is in the chaos Smaill
envisions for a people without the ability to communicate or even to remember
what it was they wanted to fight against. The dystopian themes are ambitious in
scale, but I did feel that the details of this alternate reality were lacking.
There was just too much telling, and not enough showing us what life was like
for Simon and his friends. I think this novel could have been developed much
further, and perhaps spread out into a series, allowing Simon to truly grow as
a character and understand his mysterious world.
I received this novel from Quercus Books and
NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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