The Memory Keeper – Abigail Johnson

Published By: Pan
Pages: 304
Released On: 30/07/2026

Sometimes ordinary people can make an extraordinary difference . . .

Meet Gracie. At mid-life she’s fed up with her unhappy marriage and humdrum career, so when a new housing estate threatens to sever the last connection to her late father, the oak tree he planted as a child, she decides to take a stand – only, Gracie has never stood up to anyone.

When five-year-old neighbour Tilly unexpectedly bounds into her life, she shows Gracie that you shouldn’t always take no for an answer. Despite revelations of long-buried family secrets and conflicts taking root, perhaps this could be the beginning of a new chapter, one in which Gracie finally discovers her inner strength and realises that even in the face of loss, there is hope.

*****

Thanks to NetGalley and Pan for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

I absolutely loved Abigail’s previous book, The Secret Collector, and have been keeping an eye out for her next one and this just sounded lovely.

It reminded me of Matt Coyne’s Frank and Red a bit, with the friendship between an older character (although she’s only 50 in this) and a child. I love the dynamic. I do think that the character of Gracie is written a bit old. She is only 50 and yet at times she’s written as if she’s an OAP.

Gracie is a wonderful woman in every way and I loved her. Her husband Max is horrendous. And Tilly is a whirlwind of energy and passion.

This made me so mad at times. Not at the book as such, but because of Max’s behaviour and then how that made Gracie behave really annoyed me and I just wanted to give them both a shake.

It’s an entertained book but doesn’t scrimp on the difficult topics. But it’s balanced well. It’s quick and easy to read, and I read it in a few hours.

Is it a bit repetitive at times? Possibly. Did that matter? Not really. I still very much enjoyed it.

I think I preferred The Secret Collector a bit more, it had more meat on its bones than this one. That’s not to say I didn’t like this because I really did love it. It’s uplifting and joyful, sad and tense, powerful and thought-provoking, and just a really enjoyable story. Just two books in and Abigail has already become a go-to author for me for uplifting but powerful stories.