If you could see people's memories, go into them and manipulate all the objects in them, that would be a kind of superpower, wouldn't it?
Hyperthymesia is the condition of possessing an extremely detailed autobiographical memory, and 16 year old Benny Monroe has it -- in spades. Not only can Benny remember every minute of his short life, but he can see into the memories of other people -- and even enter those memories. His powers don't stop there, however.
This gift makes Benny the perfect candidate to help the FBI discover and neutralize a terrorist plot to bring New York to it's knees and to paralyze the entire government. Will a 16 year old boy, no matter how gifted, be able to stop the furious attack?
Excerpt
Crouched in the shallow ditch, Benny thought he could feel snakes wiggling up inside his soaked pant legs. Or if not snakes, then leeches just like in that Bogart movie. “What would be next?” he thought. “A cloud of mosquitoes?” Also from the Bogart picture.
Benny could remember every detail of that movie just as he could remember every detail of every movie he’d ever seen…or the faces of every person he had ever seen. Each detail, no matter how small, was etched into his brain and could be recalled in an instant, even if he had only noticed them briefly in passing. And not just people.
It worked for everything that had happened to him. He didn’t like doing it although it could be sort of fun if, for example, he wanted to look at all the Saturday afternoons of his short life and sort them out, best to worse. He would do things like that when he was bored.
If there had been a newspaper sitting on a table that he hadn’t read or even really noticed, he could remember back to that day and actually “see” the paper and read it. Just the page that was visible, mind you. He couldn’t mentally open it up and read through the whole paper. Although sometimes he thought he might be able to do that if he concentrated hard enough.
Of course that would be weird. Really weird, and it was weird enough that he could remember every detail of his life. That alone branded him as a freak. No sixteen-year-old wanted to be branded as anything, let alone as a freak.
At first his parents were amused by the whole thing. His talent emerged in the first grade as he learned to read a calendar. Give him a date, and he could tell you what day of the week it fell on. Every time.
At first they would show him off at parties and family gatherings, but later guests and relatives began asking what the trick was and getting a little freaked out when his parents insisted there was no trick. After a while, both parents decided to just drop the whole thing. They wanted to give him the gift of normalcy, which was wise, because there was one other thing.
They learned that all those crystal clear memories came back to Benny with all of the emotions attached to them. If Benny had a bad day or bad experience, thinking about it later brought forth all of the those bad feelings, fully intact, including pain if Benny had suffered an injury or any kind of pain during that time. Good times, bad times, pain, pleasure, happiness, sadness, terror, they were all there for Benny.
Just take the time he broke his arm in seventh-grade football practice. If he thought about that day, the pain of the break would haunt him like the phantom pains of an amputee. “When was that? Two years ago?” Almost exactly two years ago in fact. It was Monday afternoon P.E., September 22nd, at 3:35 pm. Benny found himself alone as two of the biggest assholes in his class were charging right at him tossing the football back and forth and just daring him to try to stop them. He had to try to make the tackle even though he only weighed a hundred and thirty-five pounds, and at nearly six feet was shaped more like a stick than a defensive end.
The hit knocked him right on his butt, and for some stupid reason he extended his arms back to try to stop the fall. Dam it. Why did he have to remember that now of all times? Benny winced at the memory of the incredible pain in his arm and at the sound of his bone snapping. “Great.” So now he had the pain of a broken arm as well as being wet, cold, hungry, and…scared. Very scared.
Professional Reviews
Tension builds to explosion point.
Have you ever wondered if your memories could be real—solid—could materialize? Teenager Benny develops his ability to probe other people's thoughts to an amazing degree—even entering a particular memory and bringing an article back.
People in this world will exploit any deviation that might be useful. The outcome depends on whether they harness it for good or for evil. When the President and the First Lady are involved, things get serious. Benny's skill will be vital in saving lives from multiple plots of destruction.
The story begins with an innocent teenage boy who harbors a special talent. One man wants to exploit his gift for television and make a name for himself. As Benny expands his ability, more characters become involved, each with their own agenda. The only people Benny can rely on are his mother and his aunt. When terrorists enter the scene, the plot builds to include Security, Air Force One, and Government agents. Tension builds to explosion point.
Intersting Story, Well-Drawn Character
Benny is a well-drawn character, one to remember long after the end of the book. We learn early on that Benny suffers from a condition which gives him an extraordinary power of memory. He escapes into such memories, knowing, unfortunately, that he has to return to a not-always happy life. Benny's stepdad forces him to see a doctor in hopes he would be able to make money off this extraordinary gift. As the story progresses and we see Benny travel back into a memory so vivid he could change a bad grade, for example, or bring back a wet shoe, the plot thickens when the young man is asked to help the FBI stop a nuclear attack meant to bring down the entire NYC. A big asking for a teen, but is Benny just any teen?
Mr. Matlack moves the story through many interesting turns taking the reader to a stunning and very visual conclusion. The end of the story kept me mesmerized to the very last word.
I highly recommend this book for the story itself but also for the writing. Readers of YA, paranormal, and suspense would find it interesting.
Fascinating Quick-Paced Read
The Memory Walker is a fascinating read. W.H. Matlack a genuine storyteller succinctly paints vivid characters drawing the reader into his fictional realm. As if riding on a magic carpet, W.H. Matlack’s imaginative novel takes us on a fast-paced journey through the protagonist Benny’s mind. The teenager has the remarkable ability to experience other people’s memories, but his gift doesn’t stop there. From the first to last page, The Memory Walker delivers an intriguing action filled plot wrapped in a well-written package.
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