Memento Mori

Excellent.  This short story is superb.  It has all the makings for a great plot -suspense, thrill, desperation, revenge, etc.- and is compacted into a tiny bit of writing.  I saw the movie a few years ago and I was not completely enthralled. I remember feeling a bit confused and uneasy through most of it.  After reading the short story, I had totally different feelings, though. I kept up with the action and narration.  My only complaint is that the story is not long enough.  I am looking forward to seeing the movie for a second time. It has been a while and I am interested in being able to compare the two forms of the story.

The sense of urgency throughout the whole piece is a key element of captivating the reader.  Because the chapters are so short, it is nearly impossible to stop until you reach the end.  Most of the chapters end with some kind of jarring cliffhanger that forces the reader to keep on going.  Since "Memento Mori" is so short, however, this is not a difficult feat.  Even if the story were longer, I think the author's total originality and creativity would keep the reader interested through the whole thing. If I am not allured by a story it can take decades to finish. The choppiness of "Momento Mori" paired with the uniqueness left me completely satisfied.

Passage of time seems to be a recurring theme in the short story.  I thought the lack of information in the time between Earl's tattoo and his waking up in the hotel was magnificent.  With room for such open interpretation the reader has to rely on clues to develop the story.  Obviously, a significant amount of time has passed.  Since it means nothing to Earl, though, why should it be significant to the reader?  Reading the story from Earl's point of view really brought out feelings of desperation.  Most momentous for me was the end of the story when Earl could not find a pen. Nolan's ability to express Earl's despair was fantastic.  I literally felt his anxiety.