Memories of the Future is a 2019 novel by American writer Siri Hustvedt. The novel concerns a narrator, known as S.H. or by her nickname, "Minnesota", who discovers her journal from 40 years before the novel's events.
.jpg) First edition (US) | |
| Author | Siri Hustvedt |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster (US) Sceptre (UK) |
| Publication place | United States |
Writing and development
editHustvedt has said she "[...] actively [hoped] to undermine" the assumption that autobiographical fiction by women tends to be less imaginative than equivalent works by men.[1]
Style and contents
editThe novel contains autobiographical elements.[2] Writing for the New York Times, Judith Shulevitz referred to the novel as an example of autofiction.[2] The novel contains drawings by Hustvedt of several men, including Marcel Duchamp and Donald Trump.[1]
Reception
editCritical reception
editAccording to literary review aggregator Book Marks, the novel received mostly "Positive" reviews.[3] In a review for The Financial Times, Catherine Taylor compared the work to the "best" of the filmography of American director David Lynch.[4] Critics highlighted Hustvedt's depiction of New York City, with Sam Sacks crediting the depiction of S.H.'s relationship with a neighbor, Lucy, as accurate to the experience of living in a large city.[5] In her review for The Guardian, Sarah Crown praised the inclusion of the city, writing that Hustvedt "joyously depicts" New York as "hot, dirty and cacophonous".[6]
Writing for The Los Angeles Review of Books, Elena Goukassian compared Memories of the Future unfavorably to Hustvedt's debut novel, The Blindfold.[7] Goukassian praised The Blindfold for "leaving readers to draw [their] own conclusions" while writing that Memories of the Future "suffers from over-explanation".[7] Goukassian attributes this tendency to the "Trump era", during which she writes that there "[...] appears to be a wider trend among writers and artists of all kinds in creating works that drill their themes into the minds of their audiences".[7]
Accolades
editThe novel was long-listed for the 2020 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction.[8]
References
edit- ^ a b Williams, Holly (22 March 2019). "Siri Hustvedt: 'There is a morbid belief that women lack imagination'". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
- ^ a b Shulevitz, Judith (26 March 2019). "Was That Really Me? A Novelist Discovers Her Younger Self". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
- ^ "Book Marks reviews of Memories of the Future by Siri Hustvedt". Book Marks. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
- ^ Taylor, Catherine (8 March 2019). "Memories of the Future by Siri Hustvedt — a sinister New York tale". Financial Times. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
- ^ Sacks, Sam (15 March 2019). "Fiction: In the Archives of Personal History". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
- ^ Crown, Sarah (20 March 2019). "Memories of the Future by Siri Hustvedt review – who tells the story?". the Guardian. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
- ^ a b c Goukassian, Elena (19 March 2019). "Los Angeles Review of Books". Retrieved 6 January 2022.
- ^ "2020 Winners". Reference & User Services Association (RUSA). 19 October 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2022.