Most dystopian novels that I've read so far center around a first glance of a utopian society where its citizens are made to believe that the status quo must be upheld. It is not until the hero/heroine of the book looks closely enough at what is happening around them that they start to realize that things are far from a utopia where their rights have been usurped. This is a general trope of the dystopian genre, however, there are a few books that take a different approach as they watch a society slowly descend into chaos, which makes even more curious if we could prevent the situation from getting any worse.

Description: It is 40 to 50 years in the future America, where there is a struggling economy and terrorism is at an all time high. Car bombings happen every few days. A facility called the Therapeutic Forgetting Centers (TFC), which helps people forget any traumatic event in their lives by giving them a pill. Not only does the pill alter your memory, but it might change your identity too. Would would happen if you resisted? Who is responsible for the terrorist attacks?

Review:  Memento Nora has an intriguing and quickly established world where there is mystery yet familiarity. The world echoes of today, with privacy concerns, a bad economy and a very high priority of homeland security. The only difference between our world and Nora's world is a chain of "therapeutic forgetting clinics" that allow you to forget disturbing memories. 
 As the book opens, Nora and her mother witness a suicide bombing at a bookstore. Traumatized by the event, both mother and daughter go to the TFC in hopes of erasing the memory out of their minds and resume life without any blemishes. Upon visiting the TFC, Nora finds out unspoken secrets between her parents and decides she will never take the pill to forget because someone must remember. In her rebellion, Nora befriends two other students in school from different walks of life, Micah and Winter. Together the three create an underground comic called Memento, which chronicle the harmful effects of TFC and the mystery surrounding the terrorist attacks.
  The book is written from Nora, Micah, and Winter's point of views. Each chapter and character voice is distinct. Nora is our reluctant heroine. She is financially well off and somewhat popular in school. She never really thought about her society until the situation hits close to home and pops her safety bubble, leaving her reeling from secrets and lies. Micah is a boy who is lives on the fringes of society. He and his mother are living in poverty and barely surviving on their own. Winter, Micah's best friend, is a Japanese girl whose parents have gone missing. Winter is very artistic, shrewd, and can easily see through people as if they are clear transparencies. I loved how Smibert takes three unique and diverse characters and have them come together to show that the harms of the society affects everyone yet in different but significant ways.
  The best part of the book is watching a slow and relatively quiet resistance unfold by creating a graphic novel. Smibert does a great job in explaining how graphic novels form and how it can be just as powerful as narrative. While I read the book, I couldn't help but wonder if Memento Nora would have more of a punch if it was released in graphic novel format instead of a novel. I think the graphic novel format would allow the book a bit more room to play with emotions and add more layers of depth to this already thought provoking novel. 
  My only problem with the book, however, is the lack of character development amongst our three main characters. We are given glimpses of their lives yet remain at a close distance so we never seem to really connect with them. One of the characters that stood out the most for me is Nora's mom, who perfectly embodies the complexities of the world in Memento Nora. By watching her, you can easily see why taking a pill at TFC makes sense and might be a temporary yet dangerous answer to her problems. I know there is a second book in the works called The Forgetting Curve, which is set to release next year and I hope it fleshes out the characters a bit more. I love Smibert's world now I just want to be part of it.  
    Even though Memento Nora is less than 200 pages long, it has me thinking long after I finished the reading the last page. I'm looking forward to finding out what happens next to Nora, Micah, and Winter in the book's sequel. I would definitely recommend this book to those who like dystopia but doesn't necessarily enjoy science fiction.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Words of Caution: There is some language in the book. Recommended for Grades 7 and up.

If you like this book try: Little Brother by Corey Doctorow or Brain Jack by Brian Falkner

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