Preview of Memory Summary:

Memory is a coming-of-age story set in contemporary New Zealand. At its heart are the questions: What is reality? What is memory? How do we integrate the two in our lives? The main characters, nineteen-year-old Jonny Dart and ancient Sophie West, have trouble with these questions. Jonny, tormented by his sister Janine's tragic death for which he feels responsible, is unable to distinguish what he remembers from what happened on the day of the accident. Sophie, a victim of Alzheimer's Disease, has forsaken reality and lives in a world confused by her past. When we first meet Jonny, he is drunk; and when he follows Sophie home and becomes part of her dirty, cat-infested household, he appears to be opting out of a normal life. Mahy thus draws on the archetypal idea that salvation lies in the inward journey of the hero to confront evil, in Jonny's case...