Yesterday

Felicia Yap

Aug 2017 · Sold by Mulholland Books

About this ebook

In this heart-pounding mystery, a woman is found dead—but in a society where only the privileged have memories longer than a day, the chances of solving the crime seem futile. Imagine a world in which classes are divided not by wealth or religion but by how much each group can remember. Monos, the majority, have only one day's worth of memory; elite Duos have two. In this stratified society, where Monos are excluded from holding high office and demanding jobs, Claire and Mark are a rare mixed marriage. Clare is a conscientious Mono housewife, Mark a novelist-turned-politician Duo on the rise. They are a shining example of a new vision of tolerance and equality-until...

A beautiful woman is found dead, her body dumped in England's River Cam. The woman is Mark's mistress, and he is the prime suspect in her murder. The detective investigating the case has secrets of his own. So did the victim. And when both the investigator's and the suspect's memories are constantly erased -- how can anyone learn the truth?

Told from four different perspectives, that of Mark, Claire, the detective on the case, and the victim -- Felicia Yap's staggeringly inventive debut leads us on a race against an ever-resetting clock to find the killer. With the science-fiction world-building of Philip K. Dick and the twisted ingenuity of Memento, Yesterday is a thriller you'll never forget.

Ratings and reviews

Even though the premise of this story feels like a sci-fi alternate universe, it actually takes place in 2015. Society is split between MONOs ... who can only remember yesterday. They are considered the lesser of importance. DUOs are those lucky enough to remember 2 days. They are allowed to hold office and do important things. Mark and Claire are a mixed marriage. She is a MONO. She types notes on a computer to help her remember what happened yesterday. He is DUO and is a novelist turned politician. Together they represent tolerance and equality. When a woman is found dead, she is identified as Mark's mistress. He is now the prime suspect in her murder. Mark has secrets and the investigating detective has secrets. But with both of their memories being erased every 2 days, how can anyone learn the truth? This story is told by 4 distinct voices ... Mark, Claire, the Detective, and the Victim. Its fast paced or maybe it feels that way because the clock continues ticking as their memories start to disappear. This is an intriguing first novel by this author. It's well written with characters that stand out. It's a mix of a little bit sci-fi, a little bit contemporary fiction. Amazon has it listed as a Technothriller. Many thanks to the author / Wildfire / Netgalley for the digital copy of this first novel. The author will bear following. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

About the author

Felicia Yap grew up in Kuala Lumpur. She read biochemistry at Imperial College London, followed by a doctorate in history at Cambridge University. She has written for The Economist and the Business Times. She has also been a radioactive-cell biologist, a war historian, a Cambridge lecturer, a technology journalist, a theater critic, a flea-market trader, and a catwalk model. Felicia lives in London and is a recent graduate of the Faber Academy's novel-writing program.