Although I first came across Anthony Doerr through his novel “All the Light We Cannot See”, if you wanted a more subtle introduction then his collection of short stories then “Memory Wall” wouldn’t be a bad place to start. The stories are engaging and well-written, and you somehow feel ‘safe’ in Doerr’s hands.
The subject matter in “Memory Wall” is often challenging because in tackling memory – and the loss of memory – Doerr addresses problematic topics, both historical (the Holocaust) and universal (dementia). In that respect the stories are not an easy read, and with one after the other in the same vein a little unrelenting. The characters are imperfect, and thus more real and interesting because of that.
Ian Gouge - Writer 