Review: The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr

"Live in the moment whenever you can. You don't need a memory to do that."

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHO TO TRUST WHEN YOU CAN'T EVEN TRUST YOURSELF? I look at my hands. One of them says FLORA BE BRAVE. Flora has anterograde amnesia. She can't remember anything day-to-day: the joke her friend made, the instructions her parents gave her, how old she is. Then she kisses someone she shouldn't, and the next day she remembers it. It's the first time she's remembered anything since she was ten. But the boy is gone. She thinks he's moved to the Arctic. Will following him be the key to unlocking her memory? Who can she trust?

The One Memory of Flora Banks is one of the most beautiful, poignant books I have ever read. Flora suffers from a form of amnesia that means she only holds memories for a few hours before being confused. Her last memories are of when she was 10 but now she is 17 and struggling to navigate life as a young woman when she is still treated as a child by her memories and her overprotective parents. Then something amazing happens to Flora: she kisses a boy and remembers. Flora seizes this opportunity to start living her life and taking chances, growing up and discovering in her own way. She starts out searching for someone else but discovers herself along the way.

Although this certainly isn't your typical YA novel, Flora is as relatable as any protagonist. Barr has made her raw and honest, far from perfect but full of emotion and a will to find her own adventure in life. She faces the same difficulties as many young teens do: broken friendships, first love and a struggle for independence. This is a story of honesty and discovery. This book kept me gripped the whole way through as Flora is a "wild and wonderful" character who is completely loveable. Everything is not always as transparent as it seems on the surface and Flora and the reader truly face a rollercoaster ride. Flora is the narrator but how reliable is the account of someone with memory loss?

I would 100% recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of YA literature and would enjoy a coming of age story with a twist.

9/10