Ann Brashares continues to jump successfully from teen to adult fiction in her second adult book, “My Name is Memory.” A mix of romance and fantasy takes readers on a journey across centuries and past lives. Daniel is one of a few people in the world who remembers his past lives, no matter the body he is born into. We hear a firsthand account of Daniel’s journey from sixth-century Africa through eighth-century Turkey to WWI, in almost a detached way, except when it comes to Lucy.
Readers meet Lucy as Daniel pursues her in present day, trying to get her to remember who he is and their lives together. Readers are able to see Daniel’s view of their star-crossed love story as it has developed over time, but Lucy (also known as Sophia in the past) never remembers. Though scared by Daniel’s seemingly insane claims about their lives, prompting Daniel to leave her alone, Lucy slowly and eventually discovers the truth. As the mysteries are unraveled, going back and forth between their two viewpoints, another element of danger in the form of a murderous soul threatens to ruin their current reunion.
I most enjoyed the element of fantasy of this book, which has never been explored thoroughly in the past, shedding a different light on the idea of reincarnation. Brashares does changing viewpoints and romance well, developing characters to care about and a romance to root for. While the book becomes sluggish at some points, the adventure and suspense Brasheres leads up to is worth the wait. “My Name is Memory” is an intriguing start to Brashares' planned trilogy.
