Thanks for the Memories

Memories is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are and the things you never want to lose!

Some people choose a book to help pass the time, but I choose a book because I want to immerse myself into a world that is different from mine. To me, imagining character’s faces and places where they live motivates me to read more and to envisage.

Thanks for the Memories is the fifth book by Cecelia Ahern, and is a rare book in my collection, because the plot is so different from other books that I have read. I must say that she really has a good imagination, and is of course the queen of modern fairytale.

‘How could you know someone you’ve never met before?’ This line describes the storyline, and as the plot unraveled, I couldn’t stop reading. The thrilling storyline made me finish the book within three days! When I started to read this book, I could not figure out where the turning point was, but eventually I caught on the storyline.

So this is how it started: Joyce Conway’s character is portrayed as a very pitiful woman. She has lost everything in life, except for her elderly father. Joyce’s life changes after an accident. The road to her recovery was even more difficult with the loss of her baby and after being dumped by her husband. Despite the thorny life, she starts to have unusual dreams and feelings toward certain things she doesn’t know and doesn’t relate to her.

The other character in the book is Justin Hitchcock, who practically has nothing valuable in life, except for his job as a lecturer. He has also given up on his marriage and lives alone. While in Dublin giving a lecture about the arts, he donates a pint of blood.  Since it was his first time, Justin was eager to know whose life he had saved. In search of his blood receiver, he discovers Joyce and feels a connection to her at first sight.

Although Joyce and Justin are from different backgrounds, they have the same aspiration - to find someone to begin a new chapter in their life. Although their journey to find each other is a long and difficult one, they somehow enjoy a very warm ending. As the title suggests, Justin’s memories connected him to Joyce.

Thanks for the Memories is filled with love, magic and the instant connection you feel when you meet someone you’re meant for. I believe this is what faith and destiny is all about. If you’re meant for someone, no matter how long or how awful the journey, faith will bring you back together.