The Memory Of Love by Linda Olsson

Now in her fifties, Marion Flint finds herself alone in a coastal town in New Zealand.  She is a doctor and practiced for many years, but now only works part-time.  In her past, she was married for a time, but the marriage came to seem an empty shell and she fled it and her London home for New Zealand.

Marion's childhood was dysfunctional and left her with difficulty in forming attachments and relationships.  She spends her days walking the coastline, collecting treasures that she turns into art.  Everything changes when she meets Ika, a young boy or around nine.  He starts showing up occasionally at her home and she feels an interest in him.  When she realizes that his home life is not ideal, in fact, perhaps dangerous, it starts two processes. 

First, she starts to take steps to rescue Ika from his home and to help him flower despite his own difficulties.  But, having Ika around also takes Marion back to her past.  She starts to review the memories that she has repressed for decades and to slowly start to put them into a united focus and to forgive those who inhabited her past.  Will doing so help her create a more balanced life?

Linda Olsson has created a quiet book that has emotional depth that the reader slowly uncovers as they get to know Marion.  Her struggles and attempts to change herself in her middle years, leading to her older stages, is noteworthy.  Readers will be drawn into her struggles and cheer for her to overcome the adversity that has stunted her life until now.  This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction.