A gripping literary thriller from an exciting new voice in fiction
Hailed as one to watch by the UKs Telegraph, Sam Taylo... read full description
Hailed as one to watch by the UKs Telegraph, Sam Taylo... read full description
reviews
Jan 26, 2010
oriana
rated it: 
pre: Found in a rain-wilted box on the curb, and I don't know one single thing about it. Very exciting!
post: Holy shit this book is great. Given that it is all about amnesia, intentional and unintentional memory suppression, the existence or non-existence of consensus-based reality, the possibility or impossibility of coincidences, etc., I am stunned and delighted that it came to me so anonymous, so unknown. I still know not a thing about Sam Taylor (though I plan to learn more once More...
post: Holy shit this book is great. Given that it is all about amnesia, intentional and unintentional memory suppression, the existence or non-existence of consensus-based reality, the possibility or impossibility of coincidences, etc., I am stunned and delighted that it came to me so anonymous, so unknown. I still know not a thing about Sam Taylor (though I plan to learn more once More...
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Oct 06, 2008
Lisa
rated it: 
I got the feeling, as I read this, that I was supposed to think it was The Coolest Book Ever - impossibly clever, stunningly original, blah blah blah. And for the first two thirds, I was sufficiently dazzled by the tight pacing, crisp prose, ominous overtones, and all of the hairpin twists and turns in the plot. But then it devolves into murky psychology, bizarre scenarios that seem shoehorned in for no good reason, and an ending that's not nearly as much of a shocker as it would like to believe
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7 comments
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Dec 21, 2008
Becky
rated it: 
what an odd book. it's kind of like a detective story crossed with a gothic novel, both borgesian and kafkaesque (yeah, i'm evidently now one of those douchebags who uses adjectives based on authors' names) with a strong dose of "eternal sunshine of the spotless mind." note, however, that even if all of those references appeal to you, you might not be crazy about this novel, which somehow adds up to less than the sum of its parts. it's about an english guy who realizes, after he turns
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Dec 30, 2008
Maggie
rated it: 
Fittingly, I have no recollection of where I heard about The Amnesiac, and I only have the haziest remembrance of purchasing it. Weirdly, it's as if the little sucker just magically *appeared!* on my bookshelf, where it then sat, gathering dust for ages. And it may have continued to gather dust for quite some time to come, however I spent a lot of time on the road this holiday season and the book I had been reading just wasn't doing it for me. I needed something else, something readable, some
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Jan 03, 2009
Bill
rated it:
This book is mind-boggling at times, but it kept me interested and pretty engrossed. There are actually a couple of intertwined stories going on together here. James Purdew is the central character, and is trying to figure out why there are 3 years of his life he can't remember, during the time he was in college. The story begins in Amsterdam, where he is confined to his girlfriend's apartment for several weeks after breaking his ankle. It is during this period of relative solitude and incapacit
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Dec 03, 2008
Marty
rated it:
I loved this book. Loved, loved, loved.
The back blurb says something about how it's a murder mystery with no murder, a thriller without car chases, and a sci-fi without aliens. I love all three genres, and I really enjoyed how this book combined them. I had a great time trying to figure out the mystery at the center of the novel - sometimes, even trying to figure out what the mystery itself was.
Taylor writes a lot of things like the below quote, where I just sort of wen More...
The back blurb says something about how it's a murder mystery with no murder, a thriller without car chases, and a sci-fi without aliens. I love all three genres, and I really enjoyed how this book combined them. I had a great time trying to figure out the mystery at the center of the novel - sometimes, even trying to figure out what the mystery itself was.
Taylor writes a lot of things like the below quote, where I just sort of wen More...
Jul 29, 2008
Kate
rated it:
Only two stars because the main character, James, pissed me off. He can't remember three years of his life, and decides to do a little investigating to figure out what happens. But every time that punk gets a clue, instead of following it he decides to go drink beer. I hate him so hard. The story was decent, a little existentialist for my tastes. I did learn what solipism is. Still can't spell it though.
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Jun 14, 2010
Collin Shea
rated it:
I'm torn between giving this 3 or 4 stars and have chosen 3 only because the author used the word "labyrinth" so many times that it really left me wishing that there were more words to describe such a thing.
That being said, this story is definitely one filled with labryrinths and the basic premise reminded me of the the "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", although the overall story is different and in the book, more complicated. It's an amalgamation of multiple g More...
That being said, this story is definitely one filled with labryrinths and the basic premise reminded me of the the "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", although the overall story is different and in the book, more complicated. It's an amalgamation of multiple g More...
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Aug 04, 2008
Ajit
rated it:
I read a brief review that was critical; this sort of book has been done before. So I added the book mentioned to my list. But I still liked this one. Seems a bit like the movie Memento, though without the anxiety. A bit of a mystery like Calamity Physics (but a bit shorter). Nice book and I recommend it for those interested in fiction about memory.
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Jan 26, 2010
Manday
rated it:
I feel like the author of this book read a collection of Borges work (particularly things like "Shakespeare's Memories" and the multiple short stories concerning time) and thought "hey, that would make a great novel!! But wait, I can't just write it into a novel and call it my own, that would be plagiarism, so I will twist it and convolute it and see what happens". And then he wrote this book, which, although having some interesting passages in it, overall is nonsensical and
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Jun 26, 2009
Joyce
rated it:
I truly enjoyed this book. I read it in two flights that took me from Boston to San Francisco. I am glad I had the time to read this without interruption.
It is a masterful concoction and it helps if you understand the book starts with a quote from Jorge Luis Borges and then is followed by a quote from Phillip Larkin. Oddly enough I am also reading the stories of Borges' Labyrinths which I had started before this book. That book plays a role in this book, and in fact the story I More...
It is a masterful concoction and it helps if you understand the book starts with a quote from Jorge Luis Borges and then is followed by a quote from Phillip Larkin. Oddly enough I am also reading the stories of Borges' Labyrinths which I had started before this book. That book plays a role in this book, and in fact the story I More...
Nov 15, 2011
Natalie
rated it:
Quite similar to Kafka's The Trial, The Amnesiac is indeed written the same gothic fashion with an interesting meld of existential philosophy from Descartes and the like. The plot is somewhat onerous although the writing style is simple. All in all an average read for me.
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Jun 14, 2010
Juno
rated it:
This is a book I cannot make my mind up about - it was compelling in fits and starts and the way the loss of 3 years of his life turns James vague and passive is an intriguing idea - choose to give up time & experience to save yourself and in the end you lose yourself anyway. But - heaven, hell, fiction, reality, blah, blah. In the end he's such a dick that the revelation of his past - if that's what the story within the story really is - leaves you feeling like you've had a trick played on yo
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Jun 12, 2011
Jason
rated it:
I so wanted to give this good little book a higher rating, and I almost did. But, just like Mr. Taylor's second book (Island at the End of the World) it starts out with great promise...and then wanders like snake with no hole. Reminiscent of Kafka, this tale follows a man who cannot remember his past...simple enough, but it becomes engrossingly complicated and intriguing as the tale and his life plays on. If only Taylor could have remembered how to tie it all together or where he'd put his en
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Aug 07, 2008
Dawn
rated it:
Started out with promise, engaging build-up, disappointing climax.
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Mar 12, 2009
Jake
rated it:
Loved this one, I was sucked right in by it. It freaked me out, played with my mind a bit - had a surreal quality to it which I'm always a sucker for. I thought it was remarkably similiar to Jonathan Coe's "The House of Sleep" which I had coincidentally just finished; I wasn't looking to read a similiar book. It actually had some similiar elements to Jonathan Barne's "The Somnambulist" as well. All three deal with dreams, memories, and all three read fast......
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Apr 22, 2011
Jeffrey
rated it:
The Amnesiac begins as a possible existential meditation on loss and lonliness but smoothly slides into a creepy little mystery without ever losing sight of the emotions that haunt and drive the main character, James Purdew. We first meet James after breaking his ankle on a flight of stairs while rushing to answer the telephone which seems to ring with an underlying urgency. Once laid up in plaster James doent have much to do but sit alone and ponder life when not spending time with his girlfrie
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Mar 16, 2010
Tee
rated it:
This book fucked with my head, which generally, is something that I enjoy. It made me think, I thought I understood it; with furrowed brows, I waddled through it. Then I finished it and felt confused, disappointed (at myself? the book?) and well, I felt like a dunce. I didn't have access to the internet at the time, and I really wanted to look up explanations. I wanted to understand. Granted, I'm anemic. Anemia means that you don't have much iron in your blood. Which means that there's less oxyg
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Sep 08, 2009
Alana
rated it:
James Purdew cannot remember a few things. A few years, come to think of it. They seem to have just slipped his mind. And it's not as though he can simply consult his journals to refresh his memory, because the journals for those three years seem to be locked in a small safe that can only be cracked via explosives and he's misplaced the key.
In the first scene of Sam Taylor's The Amnesiac, James is rushing up the stairs to answer a telephone in the Amsterdam flat that he shares wi More...
In the first scene of Sam Taylor's The Amnesiac, James is rushing up the stairs to answer a telephone in the Amsterdam flat that he shares wi More...
Oct 29, 2008
Kerri
rated it:
This book was messed up! This is the story (of some guy, I forget his name now) living in Amsterdam with his girlfriend. The couple eventually splits and when (the guy) can no longer afford the rent he begins to pack up his life. As he's looking through some boxes, one seems to be locked up and he begins to realize that he can't remember three years of his life. He goes back to England where he attended college during his "missing" years, to see if he can solve this mystery. Whene
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Jan 08, 2012
Kathleen
rated it:
Ha! A great read, and only found because of my own research into amnesia. This book is fascinating - lots of weird things happening, lots of mind-stuff going on (by that I mean puzzling and wondering if you're losing your mind). A really good story that keeps the reader's mind engaged. And well-written.
It reminded me a little of Sophie's World, though it's so long ago I read it that I can't remember anything about its literary qualities. In fact, the connection may be very tenuo More...
It reminded me a little of Sophie's World, though it's so long ago I read it that I can't remember anything about its literary qualities. In fact, the connection may be very tenuo More...
Jan 08, 2009
Caroline
rated it: 
I'm not sure if I'll finish it. It's looping around, and I'm not convinced it's going anywhere. It did have one really good sentence to end a chapter. But I'm not sure if that will keep me reading.
... time and 100 pages goes by ...
Still just one good sentence, and I'm almost done with it. Thomas says I should just stop reading. It's very trippy, and I'm hoping the author of this mess has a very innovative way of pulling it all together at the end. It's kind of like s More...
... time and 100 pages goes by ...
Still just one good sentence, and I'm almost done with it. Thomas says I should just stop reading. It's very trippy, and I'm hoping the author of this mess has a very innovative way of pulling it all together at the end. It's kind of like s More...
Sep 19, 2010
Nigel
rated it:
A book that intrigues and irritates in equal measures. It describes itself as "part detective story, part haunting gothic tale" but it is certainlt an assured debut from rock journalist Taylor who delivers a lushy layered tale of memory suppression as told through the eyes of an rather unreliable narrator trying to piece together the disturbing fragments of his life. Perhaps a little too self-knowingly clever for its own good, it nevertheless haunts and fascinates as the mystery at its
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Jul 10, 2009
Emma
rated it:
This is a deeply disconcerting book that really penetrates your psyche and will stay with you for weeks. It is about a man who has lost three years of his life and tries to find out what happened. It has a very original format and is basically a detective story written backwards ...and only at the end do we find out what crime was committed. Utterly brilliant!
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Apr 27, 2009
Susie
rated it:
Wow, this book was a rollercoaster ride! It started to test my patience at the end when everything got so crazy (think attempted lobotomies at a “memory clinic”) and there was no resolution in sight, but I really enjoyed this mystery-science fiction-thriller about a man who’s lost three years of his memory and sets out to solve the mystery of his own life.
Nov 22, 2008
Joanna
rated it:
This book turned out to be much less than the sum of its parts. I enjoyed some sections very much, and I was intrigued by the mystery components. The musings on memory and philosophy were interesting but ultimately felt too dreamy and became irritating. My star rating dropped with each section of the book I completed, and in the end I am just glad to finally be done with it. The mysterious narrator, the overwrought melodrama, the choppy segmentation of plot, the general whininess-- ugh. An
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Jun 15, 2009
Cary
rated it:
So good. Totally engaging, well-written.
This book reminds me of when I would read books as a girl and get totally lost in the stories, captivated by the way the words move from the page into my consciousness, looking forward to the next time I can get back into the world of the author.
This book reminds me of when I would read books as a girl and get totally lost in the stories, captivated by the way the words move from the page into my consciousness, looking forward to the next time I can get back into the world of the author.
Apr 16, 2009
Ursula
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jan 16, 2009
Darrin
rated it:
Strange book written in different narratives. A british/dutch guy is trying to figure out what happened at a particular time in his past that he can't remember. He becomes obsessed with finding the answer when his present becomes difficult (girlfriend leaves him, job problems).
May 27, 2011
Jessica
rated it:
The premise was very intriguing, and I was definitely drawn into the overall mystery of who James really was and what had happened during his forgotten years. But this book gets 2 stars because I just flat-out hated the protagonist. Every time the self-described detective would encounter a huge clue, he'd go get drunk instead of unraveling it. I know this was part of the overall character development, but it grated on me enough to downgrade the book's rating.
