I found W or the Memory of Childhood to be a fairly fascinating and enjoyable read. I felt that the story was interesting to follow, however, I cannot say that I find it flowed very well. Something as a reader that I find crucial is imagery and especially in a novel that focuses on memories and past events so much, I find that I am so much more engaged when I put myself in the character’s shoes. I thought this text brought these memories to life, even though in short bursts, or what could be remembered of them.
As intrigued by Perec’s voyage as I was, I found the blanks in the memories a little hard to follow at times. However, I have never read a book where the character could not remember their own past and found this to be a very interesting theme. I think that a lot of times when we hear of people not remembering big parts of life, especially childhood we almost think of them as “damaged” or there is a general understanding that they have been through something traumatic. This made me feel a sort of empathy towards Perec and feeling that he was really trying to find himself was kind of sad.
This novel and its premiss really made me think of the quote “ignorance is bliss.” As Perec’s childhood was surrounded by the second world war, it is completely understandable how traumatizing and difficult this must have been for him, especially as a child. Therefore, I think that he had these coping mechanisms in place and he had suppressed these memories and began to try and remember them less painful than they actually were.
My question is, do you think it is possible for someone to have no recollection, or very little of their childhood, especially when there are other vivid and traumatic memories?