ISBN: 0062669605
Published by William Morrow on June 5, 2018
Genres: Dystopian, Fantasy, Science Fiction
Pages: 496
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Set in a dangerous near future world, The Book of M tells the captivating story of a group of ordinary people caught in an extraordinary catastrophe who risk everything to save the ones they love. It is a sweeping debut that illuminates the power that memories have not only on the heart, but on the world itself.
One afternoon at an outdoor market in India, a man’s shadow disappears—an occurrence science cannot explain. He is only the first. The phenomenon spreads like a plague, and while those afflicted gain a strange new power, it comes at a horrible price: the loss of all their memories.
Ory and his wife Max have escaped the Forgetting so far by hiding in an abandoned hotel deep in the woods. Their new life feels almost normal, until one day Max’s shadow disappears too.
Knowing that the more she forgets, the more dangerous she will become to Ory, Max runs away. But Ory refuses to give up the time they have left together. Desperate to find Max before her memory disappears completely, he follows her trail across a perilous, unrecognizable world, braving the threat of roaming bandits, the call to a new war being waged on the ruins of the capital, and the rise of a sinister cult that worships theshadowless.
As they journey, each searches for answers: for Ory, about love, about survival, about hope; and for Max, about a new force growing in the south that may hold the cure.
Praise for THE BOOK OF M
“A beautiful and haunting story about the power of memory and the necessity of human connection, this book is a post-apocalyptic masterpiece and the one dystopian novel you really need to read this year.” ―Bustle
“I was both disturbed and inspired by Max’s and Ory’s journey through apocalypses large and small. Peng Shepherd has written a prescient, dark fable for the now and for the soon-to-be. The Book of M is our beautiful nightmare shadow.” ―Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts and The Cabin at the End of theWorld
“The Book of M is exciting, imaginative, unique, and beautiful. Shepherd proves herself not just a writer to watch, but a writer to treasure.” ―Darin Strauss, bestselling author of Half a Life
“Prepare to fall in love with your own shadow. And to lose sleep. Shepherd is urgently good, and has written one of those books that makes you look up at two in the morning, to a world that’s new, newly scary, and freshly appreciated: what all the great stories do.” ―David Lipsky, New York Times bestselling author of Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself and Absolutely American
“A beautifully written existential apocalypse, following everyday people on a search for love, memory and meaning across the richly realized and frighteningly familiar ruins of America.” ―Christopher Brown, author of Tropic of Kansas
“Sheperd’s debut is graceful and riveting, slowly peeling back layers of an intricately constructed and unsettling alternate future.” ―Publishers Weekly
“First-time novelist Shepherd has crafted an engaging and twisty tale about memory’s impact on who or what we become. For aficionados of literary dystopian fiction such as Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven or those who enjoy stories of cross-country travel.” ―Library Journal
“Fans of Station Eleven, listen up!…This one is g-r-e-a-t.” ―Book Riot
“Eerie, dark, and compelling, this will not disappoint lovers of The Passage (2010) and Station Eleven (2014).” ―Booklist
“Brilliant debut… The Book of M is right up there with Station Eleven: achingly beautiful literary novels about achanged world.” ―Refinery29.com
“Outstanding and unforgettable…The Book of M is a scary, surprising, sad and sentimental story that will be deeply felt by readers while capturing their imaginations and hearts.” ―BookPage (Top Fiction Pick)
“For fans of Station Eleven, this summer release will have you engulfed from beginning to end.” ―Popsugar
“[Shepherd’s] first novel, The Book of M, tells the fantastic story of ordinary people caught up in a catastrophe in which people lose their shadows — and their memories.” ―Arizona PBS
“Beautifully written, Peng Shepherd delivers an extraordinary story about love, hope, the unquenchable search for answers that may never come, and, ultimately, survival…The characters all have such depth to them that it’s impossible to not become invested in the story, which twists and turns often.” ―TheRealBookSpy.com
“The Book of M tells the captivating story of a group of ordinary people caught in an extraordinary catastrophe who risk everything to save the ones they love. It is a sweeping debut that illuminates the power that memories have not only on the heart, but on the world itself.” ―TheNerdDaily.com
“It’s a great setting for a murder, and each of Rader-Day’s prickly millennials feels capable of murder—to say nothing of sleep-deprived, near hysterical Eden. Readers will have fun following the subtle clues.” ―Publishers Weekly
“Reminiscent of books like Stephen King’s The Stand, Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven, and Michael Tolkin’s NK3… she keeps the journey interesting, makes us care about her characters, and invites us to think about how we are all the stuff of dreams.” ―Toronto Star
“The Book of M shines consistently, first in the sense of magical wonder that permeates each of its pages, and second, in the emotional depth that Shepherd is able to draw out of her characters… brutal and brilliant in equal measure.” ―The Contemporary Clerk
“Shepherd’s tale pushes the post-apocalyptic story in a new and exciting direction, making readers ponder questions about reality, self-perception and relationships.” ―Shelf Awareness
My Thoughts
When the Forgetting hits, people lose their memories and their shadows. Ory and Max are hding in a hotel in Virginia eating what they can find and surviving while the Shadowless wreck havoc and create a new world. Ory loses her shadow and his wife, Max, tries to make plans to save them. Max uses a tape recorder to record her memories before they are lost. Max escapes and Ory joins a resistance army that collects books while setting out in the scary new world. The story is told with different fonts that emphasis the Forgetting.
It is seriously creepy and something that seems so possible which at times, made my hair stand on end. The writing is beautiful and every word is placed with perfection. The strange part of this book is how the Forgetting creates a magical type power where things not remembered properly become the truth. I remember seeing this book in a catalog and I knew I had to read it. I am so glad I had the chance. This would make a wonderful movie.
Peng Shepherd was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, where she rode horses and trained in classical ballet. She earned her M.F.A. in creative writing from New York University and has lived in Beijing, London, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and New York. The Book of M is her first novel.
WEBSITE: http://pengshepherd.com/
TWITTER: @pengshepherd
GOODREADS: https://www.
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INSTAGRAM: https://www.
– 10 Winners will receive a Copy of THE BOOK OF M by Peng Shepherd.
On Sunday morning I would like to spend breakfast in bed with a good book.
A big mug of tea, a good book and a whole day of reading ahead of me!
Just relaxing sometimes reading mostly watching IDTV (my go to Sunday channel!!!) we have some serious issues LOL ? I mean seriously we do watch a LOT of IDTV ~ Homicde Hunter, wives with knives, swamp murders, etc etc heehee hubby and I like to watch together to see who guesses the killer and/or who gets killed. Oooh and another good one the one with the neighbors who hate each other LOL yuup issues
I like spending Sunday morning at the farmer’s market on nice, sunny days! I especially love the freshly baked goods.
I like to sleep in.
Sunday mornings are great for reading they’re calm and quiet.
In the house of the Lord Jesus in His presence!!
I like spending my sunday morning sleeping
I like to spend a Sunday morning with family over a leisurely meal.
Reading outdoors with a cup of coffee and my dachsie barking at everything! ^_^
With a steaming cup of coffee in cozy PJs and a good book
I like to have a couple of cups of coffee with my hubby and a nice big breakfast together, and then just a lazy day spent together with a nap or two.