It’s time for Top Ten Tuesday meme hosted at That Artsy Reader Girl. This week, we are looking at books on our favorite trope, and the first one I could think of was: amnesia. Somehow, I find the loss of memory to be very closely linked to the loss of identity, and reclaiming both seems like a major victory.
1: Cecilia Dart-Thornton’s Bitterbynde Trilogy
This is the book that started my love affair with this trope. The Fae are closing their gates to the mortal world, and one human girl gets trapped in the process. She loses her memory, and becomes the ill-made mute.
2: Traitor’s Purse by Margery Allingham
Not the best place to start the Albert Campion detective series (like I did completely by mistake!). The celebrated detective has lost his memory and is now actually on the run from the police. He doesn’t know why.
3: The Rook by Daniel O’Malley
This book had such a powerful opening, too bad it spirals downwards near the end. Anyway, Myfanwy wakes up in the midst of corpses and has no idea why. Or who she is. There’s also a show on this, which I thought was pretty true to the book.
4: The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
Not a favorite, but interesting loop of past events till the main character can figure out who he is and why he’s stuck in Blackheath Manor, where Evelyn Hardcastle is about to be murdered.
5: In the Woods by Tana French
Clearly, memory loss is a much used trope in detective fiction. The lead detective has forgotten a horrifying event from his childhood, which is the key to solving his present case. My review of the show.
6: The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum
I used to gorge on Ludlum books once upon a time. In this thriller, we need to find out: Who is Jason Bourne? Is he an assassin, a terrorist, a thief? Why has he got four million dollars in a Swiss bank account? Why has someone tried to murder him?…
7: Angel Town by Lilith Saintcrow
In this final book of one of my favorite Urban Fantasy series, demon slayer Jill Kismet has lost her memory. Her friends and family think she’s dead. Jill literally wakes up in the grave and must retrace her history from scratch.
8: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
There’s a gap in Rachel’s memory, and it holds the clue to her troubles. If only Rachel could be that happy. And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed.
9: Restoree by Anne McCaffrey
This is one of the great scific classics, about a woman kidnapped from Earth and implanted into another body. Poor Sara has lost her memory and has no idea why she has to babysit a fool on top of all that.
10: Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge
A spooktastic middle grade book about a girl who’s just been saved from drowning in the lake. It was an accident, and she can’t remember what exactly happened. But now she feels hungry all the time. So hungry…
Do you have any books in mind on the amnesia trope? Please add on to the list! And what’s your own favorite book trope (or two, or more)?
37 replies on “Who am I?? Top 10 Books on the Amnesia Trope”
Cuckoo Song sure sounds good!
My post: https://lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-books-with-your-favourite-theme/
Cuckoo Song was pretty great. I want to gift it to all the 11-year olds in my life!
I’m trying to think about a book where a character has amnesia but I can’t think of any. 😭
Surprisingly, I’ve seen it more in movies and comic books. This list was actually a bit difficult to pull up!
One of my favorite series involving memory loss is Anne Perry’s Monk series. Anne Perry fascinates me because of her own history, but her mysteries are always really interesting. I’m intrigued by the Lilith Saintcrow series.
This is the first time I’m hearing of Anne Perry’s Monk series — I’m going to look that up, thanks for the rec!
The only amnesia book I can think of at the moment is one where I personally didn’t like how it was handled at all. (Rebel Ice by S.L. Viehl… that was a love it or hate it book, from what I can tell.) But when done well, I agree it’s a really powerful trope and can really explore the idea of self! I want to check some of these out—especially the Jill Kismet finale. I started that series ages ago, but never finished it for some unknown reason.
My TTT: https://bookwyrmknits.com/2022/03/08/top-ten-tuesday-regency-fantasy-books/
Now I’m curious about how Viehl handled the amnesia theme! And I think you should give Jill Kismet one more chance, at least if you’re interested in Urban Fantasy with demon lore and werewolves…
I have never thought about how closely linked the loss of memory is to the loss of identity. So true!
The Seven and a Half Deaths is one of my faves!
Seven and a Half Deaths definitely had a very cool premise.
I remember being utterly mad about The Ill-Made Mute! I’m always so happy to see anyone else who’s read it. I don’t think I ever continued with the series though.
Oh, I’m so happy to meet another fan of Bitterbynde! I had to discover it completely by chance when I had nothing else to read, and I was very sorry that Dart-Thornton wasn’t better known!
Great pick! I don’t recall reading any books with the amnesia trope, but it’s definitely such an intriguing trope. The Seven and a Half Deaths sounds good!
The Seven and a Half Deaths was all the rage last year, a darker take on Groundhog Day.
I like memory loss too. One of my favorite tropes I think. 🙂
Oddly enough I’ve only read one of these- the Girl On the Train. I LOVE the Bourne movies but have never read the books. And I’ve heard so many good things about 7 1/2 Deaths. I was just looking at a list of great murder mystery type books on Reddit or somewhere last night and that one kept getting recommended!
To be honest, I’ve watched the movie for Girl on the Train, and not really read the book. And I LOVE Bourne too — whether book or movie! 7 and 1/2 Deaths has a very cool premise. I thought it was way too dry and more like a video game than a mystery book, but I know many people loved it.
Fun choice for this week’s TTT! There are a ton of books with amnesia as the main plot point. In the Woods by French is a favorite of mine. 🙂
In the Woods builds up suspense like nothing else… though that “supernatural” plot twist at the end made me quite angry.
This isn’t a trope I’ve thought about. But I have read a couple of books that feature it. The first I remember reading is called I am the Cheese by Robert Cormier.
Thank you for stopping by my post earlier!
Pam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/blue-covers-that-i-adore/
I am the Cheese — now what a wonderful title. I thought it was self-help or humor maybe, but then I read the blurb, it’s YA crime fiction! Looks like it might be up my alley 🙂
YES! I love this trope as well. I’ve only read a couple of the books on your list, though. I’m definitely going to check out the ones I haven’t.
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
It’s a very interesting trope, the more I think about it. Thanks for visiting, Susan!
Great picks! I’m going to have to look into the tv adaptation of The Rook. 🙂
Nice. I’d like to swap notes about how you like the second half. 🙂
Interesting topic. I didn’t know there were so many books about amnesia, well, I could have guessed but I never gave it a thought. I watched a tv series in the seventies, a Western, about a guy who had lost his memory, didn’t know who he was and wandered through the West as “Shenendoah”. I always liked it but it’s been sooo long ago, I never saw or heard of it again. You probably would have liked it.
Thanks for visiting my TTT this week which is about epistolary novels.
I’d have definitely liked that show! What show is this? Is it on YouTube. I must go hunting for it.
Hi Lex! Oooooe I loved this and I ALWAYS enjoy books with amnesia. Mary Higgins Clark loves that. Have you read Stillwatch by her?? That was a good one!
I remember I’ve read a book many years ago (I talk around 30 years ago here!!!) called The Twisted Cameo. The main character also had amnesia after a plane crash. I loved that book and so wish I can get it again.
Anyhows, I hope you are well and life is good!!
I am ashamed to say I’ve not read a single book by Mary Higgins Clark. I know you love her work, and I guess Stillwatch is a great place to start. More amnesiac characters, here I come!
Amnesia is a great trope! Two of my favorite amnesia books are Elizabeth Is Missing and Three Things About Elsie.
Hey, thanks so much for the recs! I am definitely adding these to my TBR.
Nice! I had forgotten that about In the Woods.
I guess it wasn’t a full blown amnesia, but so much of the plot rested on Adam remembering what happened that day in the forest…
Good to see you. You seem to be posting less, I hope all is well.
Great list! I have only read #8, but there are a few on my TBR.
Amnesia: I’m thinking of Before I Go to Sleep, which I enjoyed a lot
Well, I’m not 11 but regardless I want the Cuckoo Song.
Lynn 😀
What a great topic! When I started reading, I thought I knew dozens but now I can only think of one or two. Must ponder. Of course, there are also those where the character is only pretending to have amnesia like Mirror Image by Sandra Brown.
I’ve read The Girl on the Train (good while reading but forgettable afterwards) and In the Woods. I hated the ending. Also, as I recall, the reader isn’t really sure what Adam remembers. I have thought French’s most recent books less impressive.
Mr. Nobody by Catherine Steadman
The Song Remains the Same: A Novel
The Quiet Girl by S.F. Kosa
White Out by Danielle Girard
The Last Thing She Remembers by J.S. Monroe
The Life Lucy Knew by Karma Brown
I Found You by Lisa Jewel
The Face Thief: A Novel by Eli Gottlieb
What Alice Forgot: A Novel
The Long Weekend by Gilly Macmillan
The Twilight Wife by A.J. Banner
I had to go to my book blog and look up “amnesia” to find these, mostly reviews. You can visit my blog and search for each book if you’re curious.
My blog: https://bookdilettante.blogspot.com/