by Emmy Kirkham
Up-and-coming author, Emily Barr, displays her talent for writing through the novel “The One Memory of Flora Banks.”
“The One Memory of Flora Banks” tells the story of seventeen-year-old Flora, who suffers from anterograde amnesia. She can vividly remember her childhood memories, yet hasn’t made a new memory in seven years. Through notes she writes herself, she regains simple memories every few hours.
The story focuses on Flora discovering what she is capable of despite her illness. The moment that sparks her discovery is when she kisses her best friend’s boyfriend and remembers it the following day.
Flora is a very unique character. Although her illness can alter her ability to live a “normal life,” as she calls it, she shows courage and strength like no other character in the novel. She is left alone at her house with nothing but her previous written notes to get by. Despite her unfortunate situation, she finds a way to get through and show her true capability, which is extremely admirable in a character.
While reading the novel, I felt a personal connection to Flora because of how well Barr depicted her character. I enjoyed this because Flora experienced many new and exciting adventures, so it felt as I was experiencing them alongside of her.
The minor characters in this novel made a huge impact on the story, too. It was interesting to see how other characters would react around Flora and how they would interact with her. Many would help care for her , yet some took advantage of her, like the boy she kissed. The minor characters were just as well written as Flora and most of them were very relatable in the way they interacted and helped Flora. Altogether the characters were a major part of why I enjoyed this novel. Up-and-coming author, Emily Barr, displays her talent for writing through the novel “The One Memory of Flora Banks.”
“The One Memory of Flora Banks” tells the story of seventeen-year-old Flora, who suffers from anterograde amnesia. She can vividly remember her childhood memories, yet hasn’t made a new memory in seven years. Through notes she writes herself, she regains simple memories every few hours.
The story focuses on Flora discovering what she is capable of despite her illness. The moment that sparks her discovery is when she kisses her best friend’s boyfriend and remembers it the following day.
Flora is a very unique character. Although her illness can alter her ability to live a “normal life,” as she calls it, she shows courage and strength like no other character in the novel. She is left alone at her house with nothing but her previous written notes to get by. Despite her unfortunate situation, she finds a way to get through and show her true capability, which is extremely admirable in a character.
While reading the novel, I felt a personal connection to Flora because of how well Barr depicted her character. I enjoyed this because Flora experienced many new and exciting adventures, so it felt as I was experiencing them alongside of her.
The minor characters in this novel made a huge impact on the story, too. It was interesting to see how other characters would react around Flora and how they would interact with her. Many would help care for her , yet some took advantage of her, like the boy she kissed. The minor characters were just as well written as Flora and most of them were very relatable in the way they interacted and helped Flora. Altogether the characters were a major part of why I enjoyed this novel.
The style of the novel can get confusing at times, due to the fact that is is narrated by Flora. The author writes in a stream of consciousness, which creates a very repetitive, choppy style. Although it was not the easiest thing to read, I believe it was beneficial because it gave an inside look at Flora, how her mind worked, and her illness.
"Despite her unfortunate situation, she finds a way to get through and show her true capability, which is extremely admirable in a character."
The plot was my favorite aspect of the novel. Many plot twists were thrown in, yet all of them seemed to belong there. Personally, the plot twists were what kept me reading. There was always one right when the text began to get slow, keeping the novel very fast paced.
There was an underlying mystery to this novel, along with the main contemporary theme. I felt the mystery helped create a dark aspect to the novel to even out the “love story.” The mystery also gave background information on Flora’s illness, which helped me better understand some of the things Flora did as the novel progressed.
I would highly recommend “The One Memory of Flora Banks” if you are looking for a unique young adult novel. Fans of John Green and Rainbow Rowell will enjoy this book. Its light-hearted feel with an underlying darker theme is very similar to other popular young adult contemporaries.
The plot was my favorite aspect of the novel. Many plot twists were thrown in, yet all of them seemed to belong there. Personally, the plot twists were what kept me reading. There was always one right when the text began to get slow, keeping the novel very fast paced.
There was an underlying mystery to this novel, along with the main contemporary theme. I felt the mystery helped create a dark aspect to the novel to even out the “love story.” The mystery also gave background information on Flora’s illness, which helped me better understand some of the things Flora did as the novel progressed.
I would highly recommend “The One Memory of Flora Banks” if you are looking for a unique young adult novel. Fans of John Green and Rainbow Rowell will enjoy this book. Its light-hearted feel with an underlying darker theme is very similar to other popular young adult contemporaries.