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The Book of Memory Gaps Hardcover – March 10, 2015

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Cecilia Ruiz (Author)
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Cecilia Ruiz (Author)
10 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 64 pages
  • Publisher: Blue Rider Press (March 10, 2015)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0399171932
  • ISBN-13: 978-0399171932
  • Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 0.4 x 5.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,538 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

Forgettable
By Sam Quixote TOP 1000 REVIEWER on March 13, 2015
Format: Hardcover
This is the format of the book: 60-ish pages, about half are blank (to signify memory gaps – geddit? ART!) and there are about 15 vignettes of “characters” who have memory problems. One page has a small picture of the “character” with their name underneath, the next page has two, three, sometimes four sentences describing their memory problem, then the third page is a full page illustration. These three pages repeat for each of the “characters” and then the book ends with a quote from Jorge Luis Borges – ART!

None of the vignettes are particularly interesting. To give you an idea of their banality, here’s one:

“Valentin does not remember how certain objects look, thus he often mistakes one thing for another. Lately, he has been carrying around all kinds of bouquets. It appears the little boy is in love.”

That’s the text portion. The picture shows a little boy holding some cutlery and smiling. Repeat 15 times or so.

I suppose the vignettes might be representative of how people are affected by memory issues though I don’t know anyone with memory loss/dementia so I couldn’t say. Except it’s presented in such a light, unimpressive way as to barely scratch the surface of the subject and completely fails to provide any insight whatsoever.

I’m not sure who this book is aimed at – its format is child-like but the subject is clearly grown-up. Nor do I think any child, or adult for that matter, is likely to be engaged with the bland, brief material (the whole book takes five minutes max to read). The blurb describes it as “hauntingly funny” but all I got from it was that everyone in the book has a miserable life because of memory loss. I suppose somebody would find that funny but again I’m not sure who.

The Book of Memory Gaps is pretentious rubbish. One might even say it was… forgettable? Yukyukyuk!
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Gentle, Thoughtful, Thought Provoking Melancholy
By Pop Bop TOP 500 REVIEWER on March 10, 2015
Format: Hardcover
In this book Ms. Ruiz introduces us to fourteen characters, each struggling with a question of memory. The souls might be sad, lost, confused, discouraged or simply misguided, but each leads us to a thoughtful contemplation of the nature of memory.

The drawings, one for each character, are gentle, unadorned and colored in a muted palette that leans toward brown and green and gray. Each drawing is accompanied by a single phrase or sentence that sets it in context while commenting on some aspect of the character. The effect suggests sadness or resignation, but also great dignity.

About halfway through we encounter Alexander, who "...quit his career as a composer when, for the fifth time, without noticing it, he wrote a piece that already existed". This reminded me of Jorge Luis Borges and his tale of Pierre Menard, who rewrote, unintentionally, word for word, all of "Don Quixote". Interestingly enough, the book ends with a quotation from Borges about memory, so maybe I was on to something.

In any event, this is an elegant and rewarding effort. Ms. Ruiz is a successful graphic artist, (it's worth looking at her webpage), but this appealing first book shows me great depth and was a happy find.

Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.
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Forgettable
By Alt on June 5, 2015
Format: Hardcover
The Book of Memory Gaps follows this pattern: Page 1 - first name of character beneath small drawing of character. Page 2 - two to four sentences describing something about the character that pertains in some way to memories. Page 3 - full page drawing illustrating the description on page 2. Page 4- blank. Repeat pattern until the book ends.

The tiny stories have to do with lost memories, false memories, sense memories, and unwanted memories. They could, I suppose, be viewed as prose poems although the writing is not particularly lyrical. A couple of them made me chuckle, particularly the fellow who quit his job as a composer after composing five works that already existed, accompanied by a picture of the fellow taking an axe to his piano.

The blank pages apparently represent memory gaps. Some of the characters apparently suffer from dementia.

I like the concept of this book more than the execution. It seems to me that it is trying to reach a level of profundity that it never achieves. My initial reaction to the book was "so what?" so I read it again, more slowly, looking for something I missed. I couldn't find it.

The book doesn't say anything we don't already know, and few of the tiny stories resonated with me. Unfortunately, this isn't a book that will linger in my memory.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Poetic and memorable
By Paul Mastin TOP 1000 REVIEWER on March 10, 2015
Format: Kindle Edition
One word that comes to mind in describing Cecilia Ruiz's The Book of Memory Gaps: melancholy. Ruiz tells the tales, in a few short lines, of various individuals whose memories have failed them. The dancer who had a fall, and is unable to perform. The composer who continues to write songs that have already been written. I was especially sad for Viktor, who "arrived home on the same shore, thinking that he had been at sea for months. His wife would be there to welcome him, though he had left that same morning. Sadly for him, his wife's excitement could never equal his."

Not all of Ruiz's characters suffer chronic memory loss. Some are nostalgic, are longing for something they have never seen but feel like they should have, or, like Natasha, "constantly has words on the tip of her tongue. She keeps feeling she is about to remember, but they never come. She spends her days searching for all of her missing words."

Ruiz's text is poetic and rich, telling powerful stories in a few sentences. The illustrations have a dusky, dreamlike quality. You might smile, laugh, or cry, but you will definitely remember.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
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