Customer Reviews

Distant Memory

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Gansky's book moves as quickly and as well as a Grisham novel. The intriguing question of what remains of a person's faith and personality when their memory is lost through amnesia is answered in an entertaining and thought-provoking way. This is a novel that begs for a sequel since we're just beginning to know the real "Lisa" when the book ends. A fast-moving, highly entertaining read--with a message to boot.

Gansky's imagination in some of his previous works--ie. "A Ship Possessed" and "Vanished"--ratcheted his stories above the mediocre, propelled me onward toward the resolution. Here, the story is intriguing, but takes few original twists or turns.

The idea of a person experiencing amnesia and then becoming caught up in international espionage has been played out many times, in many different ways. What makes "Distant Memory" different, and what ultimately redeemed the effort for me personally, was the exploration of the idea that even if one's mind has gone blank, their soul remains saved.

The premise, though noteworthy, remains only scratched on the surface, and I finished the book with a sense of minor disappointment. Beside the occasional technical problems--should all three villians have names that start with M, for example?--Gansky competently unveils his plot with just enough intrigue to keep you reading to the end.

In a category of highly entertaining, suspenseful fiction I think I would give this 5 stars. But if I put it up against some of the classics---well, 4 stars is enough. This is not intense, deep, life-changing fiction such as a Francine Rivers book. But it was great fun and I found myself looking forward to the end of the day when I could read a few more chapters. I think that most people would enjoy this book.

I usually like romance novels but have to say this book was excellent without it. It kept me guessing until the end.

I read this book a few years back and loved it so much that I lent it out (love to share good books). I never got the copy back, so now it's time to order another one. It's a definite "re-read."

Compared to The Prodigy and A Ship Possessed, this book is a bit disppointing. The suspense and the twist and turns (compared to his 2 books mentioned) isn't really there. The book was just oh-hum, okay, onto the next book. 3 Stars might be too generous.