YA / Adult Crossover Book.

This was such a touching book, I can quite see why it has been attracting such excellent reviews.
There is also a lot squeezed into its 240 pages.

Alex is a wonderful character, with an unusual background - he was a survivor of the Balkan wars, having lost all his family in the atrocities. He was adopted into the Smith family at the age of 6, suddenly finding himself with an older sister and a brother of the same age, plus little Sophie who is born later. Although he tries to shut off his frightening past, it still haunts him from time to time.
He also finds himself with a lovely Grandad.
When we join the story, Grandad is starting to show signs of Alzheimer's disease and it seems to be progressing rapidly. Grandad is Alex's closest confidante and he is desperate to save him from being put into an old people's home. His attempts to remind Grandad of his past (and hence, slow the memory loss Grandad is suffering) result in many of his own submerged memories resurfacing.
This journey back into the past also brings out hidden family secrets and war stories.

Eastman cleverly intertwines all these diffuse elements to produce a YA novel that is informative and beautiful at the same time.
Highly recommended for both adults and younger readers. ( )

http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/index.php?title=The_Memory_Cage_by_Ruth_East... ( )

This is the story of Alex, a Bosnian boy who was adopted into the Smith family after the conflict in former Yugoslavia. His grandad is becoming very forgetful and Alex wants to try and dig into his past to help him to remember.

This is a lovely book. Alex is a great creation, a boy who genuinely wants to do the right thing. He doesn't always get thanked for the digging around he is doing, but it pays off eventually. I really enjoyed following Alex as he found out about his grandad's past, through photographs, stories, talking to people, gravestones etc. As somebody who enjoys history and research this all really appealed to me.

The author has produced a little gem with this book. It's a young adult or children's book, but adults can definitely enjoy it too. Highly recommended, and a useful tool to help explain the effects of Alzheimer's, or to encourage discussion about family histories. ( )

Review from The Bookette:
The Memory Cage is a powerful novel exploring themes of war and conflict and the reality of living with Alzheimers.

Alex has a close relationship with his grandad who is suffering from Alzheimers. It is the summer holidays and Alex has been hiding his grandad’s forgetfulness as much as he can. But sadly, not everything has gone unnoticed by the other members of his family.

This novel explores many issues surrounding war and conflict. It explores the choice made by some to conscientiously object to war and the reaction of people around them who branded them as cowards for not defending their country. It portrays the effects of grief and the enduring pain of losing someone to war. It also touches upon the damage to one’s psyche having lived through war and survived.

But it goes further than simply exploring the Second World War, it also touches upon the conflict that Alex himself has lived through. Alex is adopted by his family at seven years old. He is from Bosnia and has tried to shut out the terrible memories of what happened there. And so part of this story is Alex’s journey to come to terms with his own grief and find an inner peace. He, like his grandad, is carrying a burden of guilt.

The story takes place is a domestic setting. The events all happen in the village and in the house where Alex’s family have lived for generations. Alex makes an impossible promise to his grandad. He promises that he won’t be sent to live in a residential care home. Alex’s grandad is afraid to leave his home. Alex doesn’t want to lose the person who truly understands what he has been through. (www.thebookette.co.uk)