The Memory of Animals

Reviews

A taut and atmospheric read, an exploration of captivity, sacrifice and survival in a post-apocalyptic world ... Asks important, resonant questions of life in extremis ... Fuller writes brilliantly ... The superb ending ties everything together with a moving, tragic cohesiveness Stunning ... A page-turning, topical, edge-of-your-seat story that resonates with the reader on an emotional level, and leaves them thinking about it for a long time afterwards Haunting and unsettling, moving and thoughtful, with horror lurking at the edges, this is a subtle, elegant novel. Claire Fuller is a huge talent Claire Fuller is such an interesting and original writer and she has produced another literary page-turner ... Compulsive and thoroughly convincing. Terrific! Claire Fuller is a fascinating writer, and The Memory of Animals is further evidence of her powers. Her story is one of survival, but her subject is humanity itself. With immense skill, she shines a light on the dark heart of our existence - the beauty and brutality of human behaviour. This is an unforgettable novel The way she writes (with empathy but never sentimentality) moves my heart Claire Fuller strikes the perfect balance between beauty and melancholy Wonderful, sorrowful, haunting, tender, elegiac A gripping page-turner, this apocalyptic tale is given warmth and depth by the portrayal of Neffy, a young woman with a complicated past to which she returns to escape the horrors of the present A woman once undone by empathy now finds that it could be her salvation in Claire Fuller's stunning postapocalyptic novel ... Sobering and evocative, The Memory of Animals is a novel about who we choose to be when the lights go out Claire Fuller is my favourite story-teller. I read The Memory of Animals in one sitting, swept up by the thriller-like pace and the sheer joy of reading a great story. Yet, in the book's aftermath, I was haunted by Neffy's fumbling humanity in the face of loss and fear, and how courage isn't always obvious - even to those who find it. Fuller's books come in at the eyes, but they settle right behind the heart. Full of jeopardy and strangeness but also laced with Fuller's trademark generosity and compassion. A startling and satisfying book Fuller excels in examining the everyday moments at the heart of a life ... A memorable meditation on how the human struggle to survive in captivity is not so different than that of our animal kin A story you'll both recognize from our collective recent past, and a thrilling departure from our reality A haunting novel about love, survival and everything in between ... one to get excited about Brave, unflinching and beautiful Following her award-winning novel Unsettled Ground, Fuller has returned with a piece of stunning speculative fiction A creeping tale of isolation and the dangerous allure of memory A haunting novel of second chances set in a near-future pandemic ... Intricately structured ... The entwined pain and pleasure of memory is at the heart of Neffy's story, as is the hard work of establishing trust and finding forgiveness, particularly for oneself. This is a pandemic novel, yes, but one that radically transcends the label Fuller is an excellent writer and she neatly conveys boredom as well as dread (no mean feat) A riveting exploration of agency, allegiance and choice Fuller's latest work is thought-provoking and unsettling, and somehow strikes a further warning note to a world already in crisis A thought-provoking and utterly compelling novel from a writer we always look forward to reading [A] post-Covid psychological thriller ... takes faintly distubing turns through grimly familiar territory to suggest that what makes us heroic, or not, hinges on unexpected things Compelling ... A riveting, don't-miss account of what some may see as the reality to come; long-time Fuller readers will relish this completely engrossing story, which questions what we value most Compelling ... A timely read ... Fuller is on strong form in evoking the terrors faced by those who are not just marginalised but entirely forgotten by society There's a haunted elegance to Fuller's vision of a fallen world ... Sensuous Expand reviews