#BlogTour: In Memory Of Us by Jacqueline Roy @Jacquel27815478 @simonschusterUK @RandomTTours #InMemoryOfUs #JacquelineRoy #RandomThingsTours

Book Synopsis:

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.

My Review:

In Memory Of Us is an emotional, absorbing and thought provoking read which has definitely stayed with me. 

The story follows two sisters Zora and Selina, previously co-joined mixed race twins . Zora’s chapters focus on their life in the past as they try to negotiate life in Britain after the war while Selina’s focus on her life in the present as a 70 year old struggling with memory loss. Out of these two timelines I did prefer the one set in the past as it was intriguing and horrifying to follow the two girls through their lives. I was shocked to learn about the casual racism that existed in this period with adult spitting on children and the twins constantly being told to go home when they had actually been born in Britain. 

There are lots of different subjects mentioned in this book which I found very interesting to explore alongside the characters. Along with racism, memory is also explored throughout the book both how everyone’s memories can be different and how important it is to keep them safe as you can lose them as you get older. I really felt for Selina who is suffering from an unnamed condition, which I assumed to be dementia. It was heartbreaking to see how much she had forgotten and how confused she is about certain things.

I thought the story had a great pace to it and there always seemed to be something happening to keep me reading. Even when there wasn’t I just enjoyed hanging out with the twins and experiencing life from their point of view. There are lots of unexpected twists that took me by surprise, including one that made me cry as it was truly heartbreaking. The ending was very emotional and I closed the book with a lump in my throat, sad that I had to leave the twins behind. 

Huge thanks to Anne from Random Things Tours for inviting me on the tour and Simon and Schuster for my copy of this book.  

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.