don't you forget about me!
books in which speculative/science fiction/fantastical elements play with memory to interrogate the boundaries of the self and society as concepts
created by vulpix
last updated September, 2026
Comments
I hope we all instantly started singing this song in our heads hahahah
God I LOVE lists like this but also HATE them…since I refuse to encounter spoilers (both by looking at the list itself, and by encountering it in the “lists this book is on” section…. I literally have a hidden list for the theme in my library so people don’t have it spoiled.
But, since it’s in the plot, i willrecommend these:
Invisible Life of Addie La Rue by Schwab Mem — by Bethany C. Morrow Nothing But The Rain - Naomi Salman
And perhaps: Murder By Memory - Olivia Waite Emergent Properties - Aimee Ogden (I don’t consider this a spoiler to say it comes up as a concept, can’t remeber if it is in the synopsis).
And, if you are accepting memory loss health conditions which cause perception change, perhaps: The Renovation - Kenan Orhan
There’s another few I dare not mention, you can’t make me!! Yet someone else will.
I’m only including books where it’s in the plot summary/where it's clear right from the beginning of the book! (For You Feel it Just Below the Ribs it’s not in the summary on here but it’s on the summary on the library copy I’m reading so I counted it as fair game). Thank you for the recs!!
Oh that’s wonderful!! Bless you. I fear I’ve already gotten spoilers from many a list 🫠now I just have to figure out how to remember this one is safe!! ✨
Rec: There is no Antimemetics Division by qntm
I love speculative fiction that explores memory! Recursion by Blake Crouch would be a great fit
