I thought this was a brilliant book. Beautifully written, tender and thought provoking, powerful and gut wrenching, and with twists that made me gasp out loud. I absolutely loved it.

A very emotional and moving book that is also educational and an important read. I really enjoyed diving into this even though it was upsetting and sometimes a tough read.

Wow, what an incredible book bursting with so much emotion that just leaves you sitting in silence with your own thoughts after reading the last page.

A truly wonderfully written book with sadly so much fact and truth for so many people experiencing the same issues, especially on the topic of racism and how people can subtly weave it in to the present day.

The story follows two twin sisters, Selina and Zora, and the story is written from individual narratives but in different time frames - Zora is set in the past whilst they are growing up, and Selinas is set in the present as she struggles with her memory.
Both perspectives interweaved compliments each other perfectly and you really get to see how they came to be where they are now and the experiences that shaped them.

I was truly sucked in to this book and devoured it really quickly, I felt so invested in the characters and their story I didny want it to end but it really makes you think about life. As a mum to dual heritage children (half white English / Nigerian) I always like to explore books like this as there will be experiences my daughters will have that I won't have and there are too many ignorant people in the world.

Beautifully written, overflowing and a book that will stay with me for a long time.

This book started really strong, but it archived before I could finish it. I will be reading it in full when it is published and will review properly then.

4.5 stars!

My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my free digital ARC!
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My 2024 ARCs got off to an incredible start thanks to Jacqueline Roy! I hope more people pick this up because it’s just a beautiful piece of fiction. I had been wanting to read The Fat Lady Sings when Penguin reissued it in 2021, so when I spotted Roy’s name pop up on Netgalley and saw conjoined twins, Windrush generation, dementia, I hit request and readied myself for heartbreak.
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I’ve read a couple of books that tackle dementia and they’ve all been wonderfully done, in my opinion. In Memory of Us is no different. Roy uses a dual timeline and dual POVs to fantastic effect, both to flesh out the twins’ stories and to highlight Selina’s battle with the disease that’s slowly stripping away her memory. Her deteriorating mental state is heartbreaking to witness.
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The other most compelling part of the book for me was (obviously) Zora’s journey to discovering her sexuality, while growing up in the 60s amidst hatred fuelled by Enoch Powell’s ‘rivers of blood’ speech. The queer aspect of this story took me by surprise but was a welcome addition.
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Roy fleshes out the twins’ relationship to each other and the other characters in the book with deft ease. I never once felt my attention slipping, I felt moved but not emotionally manipulated, I raged along with the twins.
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A must read for anyone interested in stories focusing on memory, Windrush and complex family relationships!

I worry that I'm just getting soft in my diary age, because this type of book hits harder than it would have a few years back.
I can feel the longing , the loss, the grief, whilst another part of my brain is just desperate to know what happened with x and y and z.
Surprises throughout, and one that's almost certainly going to pull some heartstrings.