-
Bright Things #6: Comfort Bird
One of the themes of The Memory Collectors is our relationship to physical objects — the memories, emotions, and power they hold for us. Every week leading up to the book’s release, I’ll share the story of an object that’s special to me.
My husband gave me this comfort bird for Christmas last year. I wish I knew the artist who made it. He came across it at an open air market in Vancouver and knew immediately that I would love it. Comfort birds fit nicely in the palm of your hand. They are meant to be held and touched, to provide tactile soothing much like a worry stone. This one lives in my coat pocket, where it has gotten a lot of use over the last year.
My husband didn’t predict 2020—he just knows that I am both a bird lover and a worrier. Nevertheless, his timing was spot on. Thanks, little bird, for keeping me company when I’m out in the world, and thank you, husband, for knowing me so well.
-
The Memory Collectors – Raves and Reviews
Reviews of The Memory Collectors are starting to come in and it’s both exciting and terrifying. I’m especially delighted to share these recent endorsements from several wonderful authors. It means a lot to me that each of them took the time to read my book, and to provide such glowing praise. One thing I love about all of these quotes is that they give an additional sense of some of the dark and tangled themes I tackle in the book, so if you’re curious to learn more about it, do have a look:
“In The Memory Collectors, Neville creates a richly imagined world that seamlessly merges the magical with the everyday. Her characters will feel very real to anyone who has sensed the haunting power in objects and places that awaken deep emotions from their past. This inventive debut is a hopeful tale about the possibility of recovery after childhood trauma, and about learning how to trust and forgive—especially oneself. I guarantee you will never feel the same about that box of keepsakes stored in your attic after you read this book.”
– Glendy Vanderah, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Where the Forest Meets the Stars
“An old, horrifying crime; objects imprinted with emotions; two women hiding from their dark pasts—The Memory Collectors is thought-provoking and suspenseful, full of haunting secrets, twists, and turns. Kim Neville’s beautifully-written debut lays bare the immense power of memories and how they can both hurt us . . . and heal us.”
– Heather Webber, USA Today bestselling author of Midnight at the Blackbird Café and South of the Buttonwood Tree
“In this atmospheric and beautifully written novel, Neville weaves for us a world in which ordinary objects retain the imprint of strong emotions and influence the moods and actions of the people they touch. By turns heartbreaking, terrifying, and beautiful, The Memory Collectors is ultimately a triumphant tale of redemption and forgiveness.”
– Kerry Anne King, bestselling author of Everything You Are and Whisper Me This
“An unforgettable parable about empathy, memory, and healing that builds to a heart-pulsing crescendo. Not only is The Memory Collectors an exquisite exploration of the ways family secrets bind us to the past, it’s also one of the most magical novels I’ve read in a long time. An extraordinary debut.”
– Kris Waldherr, author of The Lost History of Dreams
-
Bright Things #5: My Baby Toys, Painted by My Father
One of the themes of The Memory Collectors is our relationship to physical objects — the memories, emotions, and power they hold for us. Every week leading up to the book’s release, I’ll share the story of an object that’s special to me.
This painting was a gift from my father on my 2nd birthday. It shows all of my favorite toys, including the blanket I carried around until it was in shreds. It hung in my bedroom when I was a child and later, in my daughter’s.I have other pieces of art by my father, but this one is special because he made it for me. Receiving this gift is one of my earliest memories. I remember the painting lying flat on the kitchen table, and my father pointing to each toy, to see if I recognized it.It delights me that here is a special object memorializing other objects that were once important to me. But mostly this painting reminds me of how loved I was, and am. -
Bright Things #4: Irma and Bunny
One of the themes of The Memory Collectors is our relationship to physical objects — the memories, emotions, and power they hold for us. Every week leading up to the book’s release, I’ll share the story of an object that’s special to me.
I’m sharing two objects this week because they come as a pair: Irma and Bunny, my daughter’s first toys. These well-loved stuffies speak to me of those bleary, wonder-filled days of early childhood, when we lived far from family and friends and for much of the time, it was just the two of us (plus furry friends).
Irma and Bunny bring back memories of long winter days, of endless games of peekaboo and hide and seek, of tea parties and story time (and of longing for an adult conversation, if I’m being honest). When I think of these two, I see them lined up on the windowsill to watch a storm, or nestled lovingly next to our sleeping cat.
My daughter is thirteen years old now. She gave up Irma and Bunny some time ago, and has largely forgotten them. But I haven’t. These two make an appearance in The Memory Collectors. My own childhood toys were captured in a special piece of art that I’ll share next week. It only seemed right that I do the same for my daughter. -
Bright Things #3: My Grandfather’s WWII Diary
One of the themes of The Memory Collectors is our relationship to physical objects — the memories, emotions, and power they hold for us. Every week leading up to the book’s release, I’ll share the story of an object that’s special to me.
Since we’re a few days away from Remembrance Day here in Canada, it seemed fitting to share this one today. There’s not a lot of detail in the entries spanning from 1942-1945. I know that my grandfather was stationed in Italy, that he was a high-ranking officer and not on the front lines.
He would have to have been very careful about what he wrote, so honestly, it’s a lot of talk about the weather:
November 6, 1943: Sat. Quiet day. Dull and cold. Got light fixed up for tent. Works well.
But there are darker entries as well, written in a dense, tiny script:
October 15, 1943: Town shelled sporadically. Went to pl with rations. All near Campo Bassi. 6 pl had close ones while 2 was [indecipherable]. Town shelled again all night.
The diary is a connection to a man and a family history that I know little about. My grandfather died when I was three years old and I have no memories of him. This is the only thing I have that was his, and I’m grateful to my mother for saving it for me.
On a broader level, as I witness far too many Americans choosing to support white supremacy and fascism, it’s never been more clear to me how important it is to keep remembering why our grandparents and great-grandparents sacrificed their lives during the Second World War. I’m honoured to be able to hold this piece of history in my hands, and to keep it preserved.