Some of the marketing for the early March release of Jon Bassoff’s The Memory Ward gives too much away, if you’ve read the book it references. The correlation might be apt, but is it appropriate? I don’t like my endings spoiled, or even overly foreshadowed. Let me get there on my own; let me draw my own conclusions, whether I’m right or wrong.

Jon Bassoff

If you like a twisty, totally engrossing psychological thriller that is going to take you all kinds of places you don’t expect, then add The Memory Ward to your TBR pile, and move it to the top.

Some of Colorado author Bassoff’s previous books have a dark tone that I can appreciate but need to be in the mood for. I approached Memory Ward cautiously. By the end of the first paragraph I was properly intrigued, caution cast to the wind. By the end of the first scene, I was completely hooked.

We meet main character Hank Davies as he’s completing his appointed rounds, delivering the mail in beautiful, small-town Bethlam, Nevada. He’s reflecting on the sameness of his days, of his town, of his life, when something unusual happens. Nothing catastrophic—he trips over a downed tree branch and drops the pieces of mail that were in his hand.

But one piece of mail falls open. Fully cognizant that delivering the mail does not give license to read it, curiosity overcomes him about this letter with a red rose hand-drawn below the address. After checking to make sure no one’s looking, he pulls the letter from the envelope and opens it. This one small act changes the trajectory of his life.

As the story progresses, it’s difficult—if not impossible—to not relate to Hank. Almost everyone has experienced a moment in life where every day blends into every other day in a mindless blur. We all make allowances for a spouse’s or partner’s little idiosyncrasies, just as we expect them to be tolerant of our quirks. We act neighborly, supporting our community in ways that are quietly acceptable, and we celebrate turning another year older. We have parents, some of whom are bright and chirpy and mildly irritating, and some who are slowly fading into the damnable twilight of dementia.

Hank Davies has always counted himself lucky to have a lot of people in his life who care about him. Friends, neighbors and coworkers who go out of their way to say hello, to keep an eye on him, and to let him know that he’s not alone. In fact, he’s never alone. Even his father’s doctor has ample time to stop by Hank’s home ostensibly to assess Dad’s dementia, and always has time for a trip or two, or three, down memory lane with Hank. Is he being small-town friendly? Or is there a reason he seems more interested in Hank’s memories than those of Hank’s father, his patient?

Hank begins to realize that some of the stories of his past, and the past of other citizens of Bethlam, don’t quite fit together any longer. His inclination when someone gets a small detail or two wrong in a story from their shared history is to forgive it. Any of us might chuckle to ourselves in the same situation, certain in the knowledge that the way we remember it is absolutely correct. Of course, there’s no need to make waves, no need to embarrass someone by pointing out their error.

Until those errors begin to stack up in a way that can no longer be ignored.

Until other people begin pressuring you to accept those errors as the true story.

Until someone knocks on your window in the middle of the night, offering you a possible explanation for why reality seems to be slipping sideways at an increasingly steeper angle and more rapid pace.

The Memory Ward is the story of Hank’s fight for his sanity, a struggle to figure out the truth of his existence. Well-executed elements of mystery and horror add dark and smoky notes to the tale, making it almost impossible to put down.

I will not spoil the ending of this story for you. I will only say that the more closely you relate to Hank’s state of mind at the beginning, the more you will relate to his state of mind at the end.

The Memory Ward will be released on March 4, adding to Jon Bassoff’s impressive output of fascinating fiction that’s hard to categorize but is always compelling.