#BlogTour – #BookReview of #InMemoryOfUs by Jacqueline Roy @Jacquel27815478 @simonschusterUK @RandomTTours #RandomThingsTours

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January 31

I'm delighted to welcome you today to my stop on the blog tour for extraordinary and moving novel In Memory Of Us by Jacqueline Roy. Thank you to Anne Cater and Simon & Schuster for giving me the opportunity to read and review this profound and heartachingly beautiful book.

About the book:

What does it mean to remember?

Joined at birth, then pulled apart, Selina and Zora's relationship is marked by a pattern of closeness and separation. Growing up in 50s' and 60s' London under the shadow of Enoch Powell, they are instinctively dependent on each other, and yet Zora yearns for her own identity. But in the eyes of the people around them, the twins are interchangeable.

They come as a pair.

They are Selzora.

Now in her seventies and living with the early stages of dementia, Selina is tracing shards of memory. She is intent on untangling the traumatic events of the past that changed the twins' lives. Perhaps Lydia, who has reintroduced herself to Selina with sharp, cool charisma, will help her find answers. But even as Selina struggles to make sense of her memories, it's all too clear that Lydia is hiding something.

In Memory of Us is a profound evocation of memory, and the strategies employed for illusion and survival in the wake of racism. It offers an often-overlooked insight into life as a Black Briton after the Windrush generation.

About the author:

Jacqueline Roy was born and raised in London. Her father was Jamaican and her mother was English. She lectured in English at Manchester Metropolitan University for many years, teaching Postcolonial Literatures and Creative Writing. She writes fiction for both adults and children.

My Review:

In Memory of Us by Jacqueline Roy is an extraordinary story of life, love, loss and the intricacies of memory that touched me on such a deep and personal level that I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since.

Original and moving, it tells the story of identical twins Selina and Zora- or Selzora as they prefer to be called - two halves of the same coin who are seen by others as interchangeable. They do everything together and speak a language all of their own, that only they are able to understand.

Growing up in 50's and 60's London under the shadow of Enoch Powell, they look out for each other as only twins can. But Zora yearns for independence and longs to be a person in her own right away from what she sees as the claustrophobic attentions of her sister.

Now in her seventies, Selina is living with the early stages of dementia. Trying to fit the fragments of her fractured memory together, Selina contacts old friend Lydia to see if she can help fill in some of the missing pieces of the time they knew each other both as young children and as adults. But as Selina struggles to fit the pieces of her memory together again, it soon becomes clear that Lydia is hiding something.

Told from alternating points of view - Selina in the present as she flits backwards and forwards in time, trying to make sense of the jumble of memories in her mind, and Zora in the past whose memories of the traumatic events of their lives often differ from those of her sister - In Memory of Us is a beautifully written and poignant novel that is easily my favourite read of the year so far.

Oh, how I loved this book! Jacqueline Roy's writing is stunning, her ability to move and surprise second to none as she brings Selina and Zora vividly to life. Piece by piece the events of the past begin to slide into place until the truth is finally revealed, hitting me like a punch to the gut that is so visceral it felt like someone had reached inside and tore my heart out. It isn't often that a book makes me sob but this one did.

Devastating, profoundly raw and utterly mesmerising, In Memory of Us is not only a book about the unbreakable bond between twins, but is also an eye opening story of growing up in a country steeped in racism and bigotry, something which is sadly still all too relevant today.

Selina's story is heart achingly real in its portrayal of dementia and the effect it has on a person, allowing us (the reader) the privilege of seeing things through Selina's eyes as she tries to come to terms with her new reality, desperately trying to hold on to her memories before they all dissipate forever.

As someone who not only has experience of losing a loved one to dementia but who has also loved and lost twin Aunts, In Memory of Us really did speak to me on a personal level, even down to the special 'twin language' Selina and Zora spoke to each other in as my aunts did exactly the same thing.

A life affirming and poignant tale that touched me in ways I can't even begin to describe, Selina and Zora's story is a moving and thought provoking read that completely stole my heart.

It's very rare to have a book come your way that transcends everything, taking you on a life changing journey that you could never have even envisaged when you started it. In Memory of Us is one such book. Jacqueline Roy has written a profoundly moving and extraordinary novel that I know I will never forget.

In Memory of Us is a stunning read and is one that I would highly recommend.

In Memory Of Us by Jacqueline Roy is available to purchase now: