SYNOPSIS: Jenny Tanner opens the box she has cherished for decades. Contained within are her most precious mementoes, amongst them a pebble, a carving and a newspaper cutting she can hardly bear to read. But Jenny knows the time is finally here. After the war, in a mountainside village in Italy, she left behind a piece of her heart. However painful, she must return to Cinque Alberi. And lay the past to rest.
After a troubled upbringing, Candice Barnes dreams of a future with the love of her life - but is he the man she believes him to be? When Candice is given the opportunity to travel to Italy with Jenny, she is unaware the trip will open her eyes to the truth she's been too afraid to face. Could a place of goodbyes help her make a brave new beginning?
Will you be the next reader to lose your heart to The Memory Box?
MY THOUGHTS:
This beautifully written novel is emotive, thought-provoking and full of surprises.
Jenny is 100 years old and as sharp as a button, but she has one thing that she must do whilst she still can and that is to return to Italy for a visit. Enlisting the help of Candice, a young woman who works in the care home, the duo embark on a soul-searching journey that changes both of their lives forever.
I love Kathryn Hughes' novels as they are character driven and really emotive. The Memory Box was a powerful read exploring emotional abuse, friendship and survival with strong female characters. The novel alternates between Jenny's early life and present day, and was really insightful. Jenny and her younger brother are sent to Wales during WW2, it is here that Jenny falls in love with Nico. Ten months into the war Winston Churchill declare all Italians living in the UK to be enemy aliens and all males are arrested. They were subsequently shipped off to The Isle of Man, Canada and Australia. Hughes features this historic event in her novel beautifully, capturing the horror, disbelief and heartache that many faced over Churchill's unjust decision.
The Memory Box is a novel where you just cannot stop reading. There are so many heartwarming moments which balance the sadder ones perfectly. I was swept away with Hughes' storytelling and felt very connected to her characters, especially Jenny and Candice. A fantastic read, highly recommend.