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The Memory Room
Vincent Austin and Erika Lange dream of becoming spies. Vincent is recruited by ASIS. His friend, Bradley and Erika join the Foreign Affairs. Vincent attempts an espionage coup which ends in disaster for himself and Bradley. Both are expelled. The fantasies of youth have now become a reality for Erica and Vincent, but they lead to a tragic climax.
432 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
5 people are currently reading
132 people want to read
About the author
Christopher J. Koch
15 books52 followersChristopher Koch was born and educated in Tasmania. For a good deal of his life he was a broadcasting producer, working for the ABC in Sydney. He has lived and worked in London and elsewhere overseas. He has been a fulltime writer since 1972, winning international praise and a number of awards for his novels, many of which are translated in a number of European countries. One of his novels, The YEAR OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY, was made into a film by Peter Weir and was nominated for an Academy Award. He has twice won the Miles Franklin award for fiction: for THE DOUBLEMAN and HIGHWAYS TO A WAR. In 1995 Koch was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for his contribution to Australian literature.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
June 24, 2013
This book isn't a thriller, but more a novel about why people choose espionage as a career. The narrator is the Fifth Business in this story - essential to underpinning the true drama of this novel.
Both leads are broken people: Erika is obviously been sexually abused & is now mentally unsound & is the person to create the final tragedy; Vincent is a twin who loses his twin as a young boy & thus doesn't feel complete. I also felt there was an element of homosexuality with Vin - there are some interesting passages in his diary where he describes young men's biceps etc, that I felt a straight man would never comment on.
And Derek Bradley is the poor soul who picks up the pieces and watches on (as I said the Fifth Business).
Is Vincent a natural spy?? I started wondering about this & I think Koch actually tells you what he feels in a subtle way. Everyone praises him as brilliant - but is he?? Let's look at what he achieves and really - I felt I was looking at the Emperor's New Clothes. The Chinese Incident is a fiasco & the idea of Erika being murdered is all wild imagination.
I have met this kind of person: I knew an English Literature academic who thought he was a great scholar, but when it came to output and thinking, was really only the sugar castle he had generated and he was actually someone who dabbled in English literature thought - and wasn't very good at that.
If you are looking for an action paced thriller, move on this isn't the book for you; however, as a novel discussing events in childhood affecting adult life, or sugar castles based on word and no fact (and we encounter this all the time), then it is a beautifully written book. The prose is a joy to read.
Both leads are broken people: Erika is obviously been sexually abused & is now mentally unsound & is the person to create the final tragedy; Vincent is a twin who loses his twin as a young boy & thus doesn't feel complete. I also felt there was an element of homosexuality with Vin - there are some interesting passages in his diary where he describes young men's biceps etc, that I felt a straight man would never comment on.
And Derek Bradley is the poor soul who picks up the pieces and watches on (as I said the Fifth Business).
Is Vincent a natural spy?? I started wondering about this & I think Koch actually tells you what he feels in a subtle way. Everyone praises him as brilliant - but is he?? Let's look at what he achieves and really - I felt I was looking at the Emperor's New Clothes. The Chinese Incident is a fiasco & the idea of Erika being murdered is all wild imagination.
I have met this kind of person: I knew an English Literature academic who thought he was a great scholar, but when it came to output and thinking, was really only the sugar castle he had generated and he was actually someone who dabbled in English literature thought - and wasn't very good at that.
If you are looking for an action paced thriller, move on this isn't the book for you; however, as a novel discussing events in childhood affecting adult life, or sugar castles based on word and no fact (and we encounter this all the time), then it is a beautifully written book. The prose is a joy to read.
July 24, 2015
Christopher Koch's The Memory Room is a book that's hard to define. The story centres on three individuals working for Australia's Foreign Affairs department - Derek Bradley, Vincent Austin and Erika Lange, though Vincent is working undercover as a spy. Essentially, the theme of the book is secrecy but ask me to read deeper than that and I can't.
I found The Memory Room to be an relatively read, at times even compulsive. But I also find it hard to dig deeper into my feelings about it. I wasn't expecting any sort of exiting spy shenanigans that might feature in a Bond film, a Le Carre novel or an episode of Spooks, so I wasn't disappointed on that score. But I did find it a strange read, one I can't quite put my finger on.
This might have been what Koch was going for – in which case well done.
To credit Koch, the settings – Tasmania, Canberra and Peking (now Beijing) – are well captured and the prose is beautiful. But it's a pity that's the only other positive thing I can say about this book.
My first problem is the characters. Vincent and Erika are vividly drawn, but they seem too cartoonish to be real. I didn't believe in them as human beings, couldn't relate or sympathise with them. Additionally, I hated the writing for Erika and the way she was treated by the narrative as this unstable, mysterious cardboard cut out of a woman. Derek Bradley is perhaps the most human character, but a vague sort of blob that serves as a translator and commenter for the audience and not much else.
Then there's the plot which is not there so much as a set of loosely connected scenes from their lives. Seriously. I'm not sure what the plot was – how Vincent joined and then left the Australian Secret Intelligence Service without achieving anything much, despite being given chance after chance when he screws up.
And while the book is about secrecy, it's hard to find a message about it. In fact, the book doesn't seem to be saying anything about anything or anyone in particular. And with all things considered, I find that The Memory Room is mildly distasteful. There's nothing in the book to make me care.
I found The Memory Room to be an relatively read, at times even compulsive. But I also find it hard to dig deeper into my feelings about it. I wasn't expecting any sort of exiting spy shenanigans that might feature in a Bond film, a Le Carre novel or an episode of Spooks, so I wasn't disappointed on that score. But I did find it a strange read, one I can't quite put my finger on.
This might have been what Koch was going for – in which case well done.
To credit Koch, the settings – Tasmania, Canberra and Peking (now Beijing) – are well captured and the prose is beautiful. But it's a pity that's the only other positive thing I can say about this book.
My first problem is the characters. Vincent and Erika are vividly drawn, but they seem too cartoonish to be real. I didn't believe in them as human beings, couldn't relate or sympathise with them. Additionally, I hated the writing for Erika and the way she was treated by the narrative as this unstable, mysterious cardboard cut out of a woman. Derek Bradley is perhaps the most human character, but a vague sort of blob that serves as a translator and commenter for the audience and not much else.
Then there's the plot which is not there so much as a set of loosely connected scenes from their lives. Seriously. I'm not sure what the plot was – how Vincent joined and then left the Australian Secret Intelligence Service without achieving anything much, despite being given chance after chance when he screws up.
And while the book is about secrecy, it's hard to find a message about it. In fact, the book doesn't seem to be saying anything about anything or anyone in particular. And with all things considered, I find that The Memory Room is mildly distasteful. There's nothing in the book to make me care.
January 12, 2009
Vincent Austin believes some spies are made, but his kind - those devoted to secrecy for their own sake, are born. Orphaned at a young age, Vincent lives with his Aunt in Tasmania. He soon befriends Erika Lange, who has also lost her mother and lives with her inattentive father. He sees her as his twin spirit and together they weave a world of secrecy based on fantasy and rituals.
At university Vincent meets Derek Bradley, an easy going friend who shares Vincent's interest in joining the Foreign Affairs. In his final year however Vincent is recruited by the ASIS and leaves soon after for China.
The three meet again when they are all posted to the Australian Embassy in Beijing. Erika and Derek begin an emotionally volatile relationship which was doomed from the beginning and Vincent is involved in a disastrous espionage coup.
Although Koch's writing is flawless, I found the storyline monotonous and soon grew tired of the characters. For a book about the world of spies, Koch spent very little time dealing with how the spies operated.
There were some fascinating passages throughout the book such as the discussion on the failings of the communist regime, but they were few and far in between.
Although the book finished strongly, I felt it could have been a more engaging read had Koch (who certainly has the skill) had executed it differently.
At university Vincent meets Derek Bradley, an easy going friend who shares Vincent's interest in joining the Foreign Affairs. In his final year however Vincent is recruited by the ASIS and leaves soon after for China.
The three meet again when they are all posted to the Australian Embassy in Beijing. Erika and Derek begin an emotionally volatile relationship which was doomed from the beginning and Vincent is involved in a disastrous espionage coup.
Although Koch's writing is flawless, I found the storyline monotonous and soon grew tired of the characters. For a book about the world of spies, Koch spent very little time dealing with how the spies operated.
There were some fascinating passages throughout the book such as the discussion on the failings of the communist regime, but they were few and far in between.
Although the book finished strongly, I felt it could have been a more engaging read had Koch (who certainly has the skill) had executed it differently.
July 3, 2016
I've read a couple of Koch's other books - The Doubleman and The Year of Living Dangerously. I absolutely loved The Doubleman and thought that The Year of Living Dangerously was OK too. I found The Memory Room was not up to the author's usual high standards which are very high indeed. Erika began as an intriguing character full of promise but descended into predictability, which was disappointing. The relationship between Vincent and Erika didn't ring true - the lack of any sexual chemistry between them isn't something I quite understood. Even if he wasn't interested in her, she would almost certainly have tried it on him, given her psychological profile. Derek Bradley almost bordered on becoming a kind of Nick Carraway-type character, despite being Erika's love interest. The blurb on the cover describes this as a novel of 'profound depth' which overstates the impact it had on me. Where Koch shines is in his ability to paint vivid mental images, and he does that here with aplomb. It is not a book I would read again and if recommending Koch to other readers, I would recommend other works of his. It seems unfair to give this one only 3 stars because this is still a very good book, it's just that my expectations were so high and I felt a tad let down. Maybe it's me not him.
July 18, 2015
I really like Christopher Koch's writing style - a kind of romatic austerity. While I did not love this book as much as his others, it's probably the most revealing (fictionalised) book I've read about foreign affairs, the power of the media and public service, and the strangeness that is Canberra, in its surrounds and bureaucracies.
August 9, 2014
This was boring.
June 12, 2024
solid, long, thought-provoking read; less of a thriller/mystery than i had initially anticipated - more so people and their espionage lives, which was actually a nice change. interesting characters and niche dynamics, and overall storyline was good. it wasnt too overwhelming, however i felt at times the plot moved a bit slowly, and then suddenly a lot of things happen… but im not familiar with koch’s writing, so maybe thats just how he writes (?)
i really enjoyed the descriptions and imagery of the settings the book took place, it felt like i was actually there, in the room, listening to the characters dialogue. it was strangely tranquil, despite some of the themes conveyed that would otherwise be deemed heavy. cool read
i really enjoyed the descriptions and imagery of the settings the book took place, it felt like i was actually there, in the room, listening to the characters dialogue. it was strangely tranquil, despite some of the themes conveyed that would otherwise be deemed heavy. cool read
December 24, 2018
Koch has the kind of well crafted style that eases you into a place or relationships. Hobert is so well described and so are the characters and the intelligence community. The Chinese placement is creible as Koch has worked in foreign affairs and it shows. Changes of viewpoint which work reasonably well. Really enjoyed it until became irritated with the character Erika's self absorption and her manipulation of the males in her life. But then maybe she was realistic.
August 4, 2023
I was disappointed with the third Chris Koch book I've read over the years - "Year of Living Dangerously" and "The doubleman" were so interesting and absorbing to read. This novel has great attention to detail in place and characterisation, and the traumatised Erica should be sympathetic (which the 2 male leads are not) but she leaves us with nothing in the emotional register except pity.
I wanted to give it 4 stars but although it is very well written I did not feel a sense of engagement.
I wanted to give it 4 stars but although it is very well written I did not feel a sense of engagement.
August 27, 2021
I’m not sure what this book was trying to be. It wasn’t adventurous enough to be a spy novel. Not philosophical enough to be awakening. Just a Bunch of diaries about some messed up characters who drift through life without really connecting to anything but convinced that they are living deep and meaningful lives.
October 31, 2017
This was a readable tale that kept me engaged. Although, I didn’t love the characters and am not that interested in the topic of espionage. I was also not that impressed by the way the lead female character was portrayed: sexually appealing to men, materialistic, needy, and mentally fragile.
December 10, 2021
As usual Christopher Koch has written a very good novel.It’s enthralling and sensitive but despite its theme of spies,not exciting,just very readable.It leaves you with the thought about what happened to the narrator character next.
September 18, 2024
Most boring spy novel ever. No kidnappings, no car chase, no torturing, no guns, no twists, no backstabbing, nothing exciting at all.
May 3, 2025
Loved this read set in Tasmania
January 1, 2010
Despite appearances, this is not essentially a story of espionage, which is just as well; Australia's Secret Intelligence Service and its employees, as depicted, are on the one hand clichéd and on the other simply unbelievable. Vincent, the central 'spy', is authenticated by a sketchily drawn operation. "Building that set of Chinese agents in Singapore was a real coup," the Director General tells him (moreover, in reality he wouldn't have needed to articulate what both knew "You did well in Singapore" would have sufficed, but the reader would have been no wiser. An author with technical problems to be solved.
But despite breaking most of the operational rules, Vincent continues to be rewarded. Recalled from the brink of a diplomatic disaster in China, he is put in charge of all the most secret and sensitive files at base. The Director General says, "... you must understand this is an academic exercise between the two of us. Don't go writing to our stations overseas -or to anyone else." Yet this conversation is immediately confided to Vincent's diary which includes the deathless report, "Today, at nine o'clock, I had an interview with the Director General: 'A', as he's known in the Service." At least it wasn't 'M'. Irrelevant anyway because he is never referred to again as 'A'. At his first meeting with Vincent, the Director General asks to be called 'Dick.'
No more convincing is the television career which opens up for Erika, the book's central female character. She is taken on largely because she is beautiful but instantly finds herself conducting probing interviews with senior Australian figures. These are apparently set up and carried out entirely independently; there is no reference to any kind of editorial control.
The dialogue doesn't help. Consider the following from the Professor who first identifies Vincent's suitability for espionage. "The virtues of Catholicism - devotion to dogma, conscious submission to an entire spiritual and intellectual system - are turned upside down in such cases, and made into a force for evil. As in witchcraft - yes? And this was the case with Dzerzhinsky, who gave himself body and soul to the Revolution - who became Saint Felix, revered today by all good officers of the KGB. His statue stands outside KGB headquarters like an icon to be worshipped. Iron Felix: he continues to strike into people's hearts, as he did in life!"
Does anybody - even a professor - speak like that?
Think pieces of that nature abound: on Chinese poetry, on French revolutionary politics, on Russian composers, etc. At times the narrative thrust stalls for page after page. Some may feel that on the terms it sets itself, the novel is a valid exploration of the psychology of secrecy, but for that it would need more plausible background and more credible characters.
But despite breaking most of the operational rules, Vincent continues to be rewarded. Recalled from the brink of a diplomatic disaster in China, he is put in charge of all the most secret and sensitive files at base. The Director General says, "... you must understand this is an academic exercise between the two of us. Don't go writing to our stations overseas -or to anyone else." Yet this conversation is immediately confided to Vincent's diary which includes the deathless report, "Today, at nine o'clock, I had an interview with the Director General: 'A', as he's known in the Service." At least it wasn't 'M'. Irrelevant anyway because he is never referred to again as 'A'. At his first meeting with Vincent, the Director General asks to be called 'Dick.'
No more convincing is the television career which opens up for Erika, the book's central female character. She is taken on largely because she is beautiful but instantly finds herself conducting probing interviews with senior Australian figures. These are apparently set up and carried out entirely independently; there is no reference to any kind of editorial control.
The dialogue doesn't help. Consider the following from the Professor who first identifies Vincent's suitability for espionage. "The virtues of Catholicism - devotion to dogma, conscious submission to an entire spiritual and intellectual system - are turned upside down in such cases, and made into a force for evil. As in witchcraft - yes? And this was the case with Dzerzhinsky, who gave himself body and soul to the Revolution - who became Saint Felix, revered today by all good officers of the KGB. His statue stands outside KGB headquarters like an icon to be worshipped. Iron Felix: he continues to strike into people's hearts, as he did in life!"
Does anybody - even a professor - speak like that?
Think pieces of that nature abound: on Chinese poetry, on French revolutionary politics, on Russian composers, etc. At times the narrative thrust stalls for page after page. Some may feel that on the terms it sets itself, the novel is a valid exploration of the psychology of secrecy, but for that it would need more plausible background and more credible characters.
March 9, 2015
Koch chose to write this book about secrecy in several voices and some are stronger than others. Vincent, obsessed with secrecy from childhood, speaks in first person through his diary entries and these are used to set the scene for childhood in Hobart, Tasmania and again near the end of this too-long book.
Brad, through whose eyes we see most of the story, refers to Vincent's old-fashioned style of speech and writing as he reads the diaries. I found it prissy.
I enjoyed the part of the book set in China most; the pace picked up and held in this section while it was slow to get going and flagged again in the last third of the book.
Koch writes place brilliantly, whether isolated suburban Hobart, Beijing or Canberra in the 1980s.
The plot of the intertwining narratives was interesting enough to hold me right to the end, but I found it hard going at times and thought it would benefit from being about 100 pages shorter than its 432.
I can see why it was long-listed for the Miles Franklin Award (Australia's major literary prize) and I can also see why it didn't win.
Lisa Hill has written an excellent review with plot summary on anzlitlovers.com, a site I highly recommend for readers interested in Australian and New Zealand lit.
Brad, through whose eyes we see most of the story, refers to Vincent's old-fashioned style of speech and writing as he reads the diaries. I found it prissy.
I enjoyed the part of the book set in China most; the pace picked up and held in this section while it was slow to get going and flagged again in the last third of the book.
Koch writes place brilliantly, whether isolated suburban Hobart, Beijing or Canberra in the 1980s.
The plot of the intertwining narratives was interesting enough to hold me right to the end, but I found it hard going at times and thought it would benefit from being about 100 pages shorter than its 432.
I can see why it was long-listed for the Miles Franklin Award (Australia's major literary prize) and I can also see why it didn't win.
Lisa Hill has written an excellent review with plot summary on anzlitlovers.com, a site I highly recommend for readers interested in Australian and New Zealand lit.
November 19, 2008
Christopher Koch's writing is meticulous and his skill in developing and detailing the career and obsessions of a secret intelligence operative is much to be admired. Detail in this novel is intricate and descriptions of neighborhoods in suburban Hobart,Canberra and China guarantee authenticity.
The plot is complicated and developed with the skill of a master.In spite of all this I found it hard going. I think because of the rather dull time in which it is set,the Cold War, and the awfulness of the main protagonist whom I thought totally unlikable. The ending leaves a nasty aftertaste.
The plot is complicated and developed with the skill of a master.In spite of all this I found it hard going. I think because of the rather dull time in which it is set,the Cold War, and the awfulness of the main protagonist whom I thought totally unlikable. The ending leaves a nasty aftertaste.
November 7, 2015
I bought the book for 10 bucks in Melbourne. Then, the title interests me.
As I start reading the novel, the three central characters were so mystifying and absorbing that I could not stop reading.
On the surface it seems like its a book on episonage, but truly it is far from it. It was a friendship of Vincent and Erika and how their childhood imagination was put to test in reality. Most of us tend to forget about these ideals as we grew, but not Vincent and Erika. Their ideal of secrecy was what brought their downfall.
"What is a spy? Are they born, or are they made?"
As I start reading the novel, the three central characters were so mystifying and absorbing that I could not stop reading.
On the surface it seems like its a book on episonage, but truly it is far from it. It was a friendship of Vincent and Erika and how their childhood imagination was put to test in reality. Most of us tend to forget about these ideals as we grew, but not Vincent and Erika. Their ideal of secrecy was what brought their downfall.
"What is a spy? Are they born, or are they made?"
November 23, 2010
Well written Australia novel about ASIO in the late 70's. Book begins in Hobart, goes to China and comes back to Australia in Canberra. This is the first book I have read by Koch, and it defintely had an Australian style to it. I began to think there was not enough focus on one of the characters, however this changed shortly after I had this thought. Protaginists view is perfect for the story, although does not appear so initially.
September 15, 2011
Koch's style definitely had its moments. He is meticulous in his character descriptions. Early on he creates people who feel whole but remain mysterious. Secrecy as a theme is intriguing to an extent but when most characters feel distanced from the reader it is difficult to care what happens to them. The book starts strong but ultimately fails to deliver. The ending feels a little too clichéd and without any catharsis.
October 3, 2013
Grumble. I finished it. I have read worse, but there is not much reason to read this one. Character driven Australian novel, with themes of secrecy, obsession, social integration/interaction to a spy background (plus whatever themes the character of Erika introduced). Doesn't do any of the things I've noted well enough to bother with in my opinion. No matter what you are after you will find it done better somewhere else.
October 29, 2016
Though not complicated or challenging in topic, I found this a really slow and somehow cumbersome read and wasn't gripped. I kept waiting for something bigger to happen. Too many descriptions of almost everything in a scene. I'm not sure what it was about this book but I don't think I'll be recommending it to anyone.
November 18, 2008
I finally decided to listen to an audiobook. This was my first and I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It was suspenseful and easy listening. A terrific tale that started in Hobart then onto Peking then onto Canberra.
May 23, 2009
Christopher Koch is an excellent writer, but this is one of his slower books - I enjoyed the thoughts about the inner life of spies, and what attracts people to espionage work.
June 4, 2010
Award winning book that took me MONTHS to read. Wasn't my taste in the end.
February 10, 2011
I just loved the bits in Canberra... He walked the floors of the building I worked in!
July 27, 2011
Was an interesting read. A bit slow at the end. Seemed to drag a bit
September 3, 2011
I did enjoy reading this book and was determined to finish it to discover what happened to all the characters.
Read
August 6, 2011Left me with a longing for more of this ephemeral world of espionage as soon as I put this novel down,
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews