The Memory Spinner by C. M. Cornwell
MG Fantasy. 288 Pages. 5 Stars
Synopsis:
A luminous fantasy debut about a young girl who must choose between staying immersed in a magical past with her deceased mother, or saving those she loves most in the complicated, yet real present.
Since her mama died, thirteen-year-old Lavender has a disastrous memory problem. She forgets her lessons with her papa, an apothecary. She develops elaborate evasions to hide her lack of memory of the herbs and remedies she must learn to attain her dream of being an apothecary apprentice. Worst of all, she forgets memories of her mama.
Despite her papa’s disdain for magic, Lavender seeks a memory remedy from a clothing enchantress named Frey. As the two develop a friendship, Frey uses her spinning magic to help Lavender re-experience past moments with her mama. Lavender hears her mama’s laughter again, her singing voice, and how it felt to be wrapped in her hugs.
But when Lavender discovers the truth about Frey’s magic and its vengeful purpose she must decide whether to stay immersed in beloved memories with her mama or save the people she loves most in the present.
My Review:
This was a fun and engaging middle grade fantasy that lightly deals with some deeper themes. A compelling read that kept me turning pages. The chapters were short, which kept the pacing high and made it easy to feel the progress as I read through the story – and hard to put the book down. Because the story dealt with re-experiencing and remembering memories, there were a few of the same memories that circled around a couple of times and felt a little repetitive in some places. We didn’t relive them in their entirety, but I did almost wish for a little more variety in the memories.
But I found the premise really intriguing and enjoyable. I loved the idea of a girl losing her memories in the wake of her grief. I thought Lavender struggling to remember her mother because of the fading of time blended nicely with the memory magic threaded into the plot. It also contrasted so beautifully with the way others in the story dealt with grief. Her father refused to “remember” in the name of moving on. Her neighbor wanted to reminisce with her to help her remember and to both give and have consolation. Her friend sought to be physically present to show his loyalty and help her grieve by being there for her. The variety of ways to cope on display was really cool to see: ignoring it, anger, fear, physical actions, words, comfort with hugs, etc.
I do think there were a few pieces I thought were set up perfectly to go a little further or deeper, but didn’t. One memory Lavender goes back to is a tree that looks dead on the outside, but is still green and living underneath the layer of bark. I was so sure that would be applied metaphorically to her father’s coping and perhaps even a few other characters that could have applied to, but it never really went much deeper than the memory. The story also set up a fantastic opportunity to show the grace and healing power of forgiveness, but it actually says “I’ll never forgive…” a couple of times, even ending on that note (while balancing it with a more positive ending in other ways). That left a sour taste because I personally believe forgiveness was what this story was missing. The antithesis of the hurt, revenge, grief, and sorrow could have shown such an incredible picture of choosing to love in spite of that pain, to forgive in order to move on. But alas, the story sort of makes it sound okay to hold on to that and like you can move on even if you don’t forgive (even though some apologies did happen? It was a little confusing.). The whole deal with Guste and Lavendar in the beginning where they started out with this falling out didn’t ever really feel as resolved as I’d wanted either.
The characters were fun. Lavender grabs you straight from the start. She’s a very determined character who knows exactly what she wants. Her sense of urgency and her absolute will to believe her plan must work compelled me to keep reading to see what would happen. There were times I hoped she’d learn a few lessons that she, again, only kind of brushed upon, but overall, I liked her. Guste was charming and loyal and someone you’d definitely want to be your friend. I loved him to bits and pieces. Lavender’s father was fascinating. I loved seeing how he behaved so differently from Lavender, seeing the tension in their relationship and what she believed about him and how they navigated their losses and circumstances. I also really loved getting to understand the nuanced reasons behind why he made the choices he did. He was a great character. Munin was a lot of fun and I ended up really appreciating her. And Faye was a great, mysterious figure that kept me guessing through much of the story. I do wish someone had just given the poor woman a big hug.
The world was creative and easy to grasp. A delightful contrast between medicine and magic with the apothecary pitted against the enchanted clothing woven by an enchantress. I loved the cozy, homey feel of the apothecary. We got to see a few other shops around the town and of course the enchantress’s cottage on the outskirts. A simple, small world that really allowed the characters and themes to shine. And the magic was much the same: easy to understand, straightforward, and simple in a way that allowed the other elements in the story to shine.
Speaking of themes, we’ve already touched on how the story really centers around grief. That is the primary theme, alongside memories and memory loss, etc. But the story also deals with love, truth/lies, friendship, bitterness and anger – not so much the forgiveness and repentance side of things, like we said. There’s a mix of how to be a good or bad friend, from a surface level view, and a touch of the trouble lies can cause. But there isn’t much of the deeper is it right or wrong to lie (outside of the preteen who insists it was wrong for her father to keep something from her, which in my personal opinion was good parenting on his part. Having grown up in a home where my parents dumped their financial woes on the shoulders of literal children there are some things that aren’t a kid’s business or responsibility. He never lied to her about the position they were in; but he was making adult decisions about adult matters that his kid wasn’t entitled to knowledge about. She’s allowed to be upset and to have a mature conversation with him about it, but she’s also subject to his authority as her father who ultimately is responsible for the household in this situation.)
Anywho, the book has some great elements that could springboard into good conversations with kiddos about some of these themes and about the perspective and choices of several of the characters in different key moments in the story, and even in the ordinary moments.
Content: MG – no swearing, very little and mild violence, though a little bit of mild creep factor with the witch’s curse and the aesthetic that comes with (black eyes, dark threads, crows, etc.), and a super mild middle school crush. Themes that deal with loss, grief, honesty and dishonesty, friendship, bitterness, anger, and hope. There’s some “dark” magic that comes from a character giving into bitterness and anger and using dark memories to weave curses into clothing. I’d probably recommend 10 to 12+, depending on how the kid does with some of these themes.
On GraceBought
If you liked this book, you may also like:
The Girl Who Drank the Moon, The Giver, Keeper of the Lost Cities, The Green Ember, or On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness
or try this YA fantasy: