If someone could erase your worst memory would you say yes?
In the Nepenthe Clinic this is exactly what they offer but to what cost?
But removing a person's memory isn't as easy as it seems. The main characters in the book William, Oscar,Finn and Mel are very well written and I found their backgrounds intriguing.

With thanks to Jo Harkin and Random House UK for an advanced readers copy of this book.

4*

We'll start with the obvious, this book has a really fascinating concept. Who are we without our memories?

If you could have pain, trauma, embarrassment and setbacks removed would you? Without the memory of it would we be different people? Would that be better people?

Those are the questions Harkin sets on to explore in this twist, intriguing multi-POV novel. I was going to give this one 3.5* but Harkin skilfully brought all of the loose threads in each POV and tied them together in a neat knot at the end.

This book was so much more than I hoped it would be. I was drawn to it as I’d recently wondered what the possibilities would be if you could remove memories - although admittedly, I was thinking much smaller than Harkin! With so many twists and turns, and engaging narratives from multiple characters, I was hooked.

I enjoyed the interplay between the different characters’ narratives, weaving their tales in pieces as we understand their lives without knowing what memory they’re missing or why they had their memories removed. Harkin showed the different impact of memory removal and also finding out you’ve had your memory removed - how it impacts the character and those around them. The story is full of intrigue as you (and the different characters) try to piece together what has happened and decide on their next steps. Should they get their memory back? It’s such an interesting concept because the knowing can plague you just as much as the not knowing. To know you had a memory removed but not know what it is or why you paid thousands of pounds to be rid of it. Your life would become a mystery and Harkin draws you right into multiple mysteries, whether it’s Oscar with almost no knowledge of himself, Fionn struggling with his wife’s memory wipe and his own insecurities and suspicions (which, by the way, was very sneaky! I need some closure there) or William suffering with traces but suffering more with the return of his memory.

I’m more of a closure person, so all the loose threads have left me a little on edge but overall this was an incredibly well crafted book that really makes you think and I just know this would be the perfect book club read!

Would you choose to have a painful memory removed forever if you could? The book focuses around a clinic that does this. The story is told through the POVs of one employee and four clients. A long but interesting book that questions how you want to deal with any pain in your life. Thought provoking.

Tell Me an Ending begins with Noor, the head of the aftercare team at Nepenthe, a specialist clinic which removes traumatic memories from their clients, of which there are two types: the self-informed, who know they’ve had a memory removed; and the self-confidential who don’t.
The book follows Noor and clients who have had memories removed. For me, I felt the stories could have interconnected more.
Overall, a fascinating idea, beautifully written and an excellent debut.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book in return for my honest review.

A little different to my usual genre, this story explores troubling memories and questions whether you, as with the characters, would remove your memory of them.

This is a book that made me think, I connected with the characters on a basic level and enjoyed reading something a little out of the ordinary.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a book that’s made me stop and take stock. Does that mean it should get a higher star rating? I’m afraid the Jury is still out….
Without giving too much away…
Having the ability to get rid of memories is such a divisive idea but an intriguing subject matter for a novel. Whilst I found all the information I needed about the story, characters and plotting quite quickly, I did find it took ‘til about half way (?) before realising I was actually quite enthralled. Less hardy a reader may have given up though!?
There are instances where removing memories might be a life saver e.g. after a serious assault. But the morals of the topic became my main problem as the story progressed.
It becomes clear that the removal process isn’t a success in everyone and some people experience “traces”, which sound horrific to me. Like living a dream/nightmare you just can’t get a grasp on. Deja vu made real. So when it’s previous removal recipients are invited back to reintroduce the memories things start to take on a very scary path.
As a 50 something woman (ah hum), just past menopause, the ideas of playing with memories is much more believable to me and will have a different meaning to the younger audience, I’m sure. Our memories are precious but can be played with so easily on a day to day basis anyway. I’m left with an uneasiness about it all but realise this could be a significant book to many and would make an interesting book club read!
Gonna stick to my original 3 stars but maybe come back to the book in a couple of years….

A compelling read of the not too-distant future where traumatic memories can be erased. Loved how the concept was thought through, considering the emotional and psychological repercussions of such an action, and also exploring what happens if the procedure goes wrong.

Nepenthe is the company that has perfected this process, and for many having memories removed feels like a godsend. Some even chose not tot remember they even had the procedure, until a court ruling enforced that all patients be informed and given the option to reverse the procedure. This sends many into a moral debate. On the one hand, the missing piece of memory could be stunting their growth but on the other hand how will they deal with a trauma, once regained. The story follows a number of character arcs, including not only several patients, but some of medical practitioners employed by Nepenthe.

I liked the layers of story with many subtle existential questions interwoven. What gives us our identity? What really makes our memories, and the role our senses and emotions play? Is it better to live with our grief and what do we lose if we artificially remove it? The sub-stories were all interesting, relevant and believable. Overall an interesting thought provoking read.

So much potential - unfulfilled.

Five separate stories going parallel, with lots of characters and history to remember, and they just do not make a whole picture. The basic idea of the book is intriguing, and I was hopeful for quite long that something great will come out of this. However, the plot didn't go anywhere, and all I feel now is disappointment.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK Cornerstone for an ARC.

This book had probably the most interesting concept I’ve come across, I was lucky enough to be approved on net galley and sent a paperback proof of this book (I didn’t realise it was so chunky!). I really like the idea of being able to get rid of your worst memories as memories are such powerful and crazy things that you both rely on but sometimes also hate to have.
the concept was my favourite thing about this, it was written well, I just think for me it had a few too many characters and was a tiny bit too long! Still very good though and very worth a read!

For such a deep subject I found this a disjointed read. The characters, scenery and events were all well described but I could not get the flow enough to enjoy reading this book. I wanted an answer to the questions that kept being raised as to whether Nepenthe was doing the right thing or not by erasing memory, was returning memory was a good thing, was there a more sinister scientific reasoning for the clinic and its work. I found that this book ler me to ask myself lots of questions but never giving me any answers.

Oh my, the spiel for this sounded so good, I really was in the mood for a good scifi/thriller but alas this one didnt deliver.

Based around a clinic that has developed a technique for deleting unwanted or traumatic memories, it does raise some interesting questions about the reliability of memory and its connection to "self". The problem is the structure of the book and also the writing style.

The book is told from various viewpoints of patients and staff. Most of the people arent connected to each other in any way(apart from the clinic)so their stories dont really go anywhere. The chapters I also found way too long for the structure and it meant I had a hard time remembering who was who. The writing style I didnt particularly enjoy either. There was a coldness to it that left me with little if any connection to any of the characters. I also found the book way too long as it plodded its way through at a pedestrian pace.

Im not sure what thee author wanted to achieve with this debut. As I said its a great premise but its let down by the structure and writing. It feels like there was very little editing and the author put every last thought down on the page.

A miss for me unfortunately.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.

A book I found I had to concentrate to hold all the individual stories straight in my head and even had to put it down and have a break .ultimately this proved worthwhile there was something about the book that called me back and I’m very glad I finished it
The premise of the book with the ability to remove unwanted memories was both compelling and intriguing.I enjoyed the tiny universal moments of life that were bought into focus in the individual characters stories and showed the perceptiveness of the author .
I found the book became more enjoyable and moved faster the further into the book that I got .
I read an early copy on NetGalley Uk the book is published 12 May 2022

Memories... we all have them. They are what shaped the person we are today. Well, the incidents that happened that caused the memories that is. But not all of them are good. Some are bad and others, well, they an be so bad to be damaging and could threaten our current well-being.
So, imagine if you can remove the bad memories completely. Permanently. As if the "thing" didn't happen. A simple procedure that could allow you to live your life. You'd take it? Or not?
That is what this book is based on - two kinds of memory removal. One where the person knows they have had something removed but don't know what, the other when the person doesn't even know they've had it done, let alone what it was.
Now imagine if it was reversible. Would you want to know what it was? Would you like it back. Imagine also that some people suffer "traces" or flashbacks. The procedure not being a whole as described. Now imagine that the law dictates that those who don't know they had the procedure must now be told. Offered retrieval should they wish.
Well... that's the true basis for this book where we follow Finn, Mei, Oscar, and William who have all either had the procedure, want the procedure or know someone affected by the procedure. We also follow Noor, a psychologist, who works for the company who invented the procedure, as well as her boss Louise.
And so begins a rather strange and interconnected set of stories and characters who are all in some way wounded and struggling. Who all have a past. And event. Which all comes out nicely as the book progresses. It's all a bit "Eternal Sunshine" at times, if you have seen that film, which itself is mentioned a few times in the narrative. It's also a long book. At times it feels like it, others notsomuch. Pacing is a bit hit and miss along the way, but it never goes so off kilter that it irked me enough to put it down.
Characterisation is very well done. I found it easy to differentiate the characters, also to connect to them, empathise with them, care what happened, become shocked at certain outcomes. Especially Oscar and Mei.
But... all that said, and I guess I am lucky that I have no really bad stuff in my past, but... would I change anything? Would I undergo a procedure that mucks with my brain. Heck no! But it did make for a rather interesting book, which would in itself make for a cracking book club read.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Stunning premise and some of the most gorgeous prose I've ever read. An immersive read that is both heartbreaking yet full of love.

Tell me a story.
About grief, loss and pain.
Of identity, insecurity and love.
Characters with fascinating stories that interlink with each other in the most surprising ways.

Tell me an ending
A unique read.

An amazing book on a really interesting take. Shades of black mirror make this really interesting and would love to read more from this author

Tell Me an Ending is a thriller that rests on an unusual premise that is hard to pull off in fiction: the life-defining power of memories and whether they can ever be erased. It is this cleansing of bad memories that a fictional new company called Nepenthe promises. Five characters with personal issues are introduced who are willing to undergo the procedure: they are a police officer, a scientist, a student, a resentful husband and a young man who appears to have lost his entire memory. The first part of the book clearly separates their points of view and experiences, but as the novel draws to a close, the five personal narratives interlink. It was at this point that I started to enjoy the novel the most. It was an unusual read that is worth persevering with. I greatly appreciate the free ARC I was gifted by the publishers and NetGalley as it allowed me to read Jo Harkin’s novel and to produce this impartial review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

The synopsis and storyline made me really eager to read this book and although I appreciated the dark humour and the amount of research put in for this book, it somehow still did not completely deliver for me. I felt that although at times thought provoking, it was not an easy read and one that I had to read in several sittings over a number of days. It is perhaps just me, but I found it too complicated.

Ordinarily I’d relish a book told with multiple people who never cross over ever.
It appealed to the way I can veer off into a veritable railway station of thoughts and feelings and never the Twain shall meet.


This book didn’t feel like that at all, despite what I interpreted and understood when reading for the very first time.


Who knows maybe I’ll give it another go, I might see it differently then.


Thank you for the opportunity to read this book prior to publication.

Tell Me An Ending is written as a collection of stories written from the POV of MANY characters. Their storylines don't cross over which was a wee bit disappointing. I think the book is mainly character based as not a lot happens to progress the story as a whole. It focuses on each character and the moral and ethical implications of having a memory erased. I liked the concept of, "are you who you are without your memories" and whether living your life not knowing about your past is better for you, depending on what that memory is?

One for those who enjoy mid-paced books with multiple POV. Definitely gets the brain working!