''Memento'' (''Warning'') is a

young adult A young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages of human development significantly influencing the definition of ...

novel with reporting elements, written by Czech author

Radek John Radek John (; born 6 December 1954) is a Czech journalist, writer, screenwriter and politician who served as the Minister of Interior from 2010 to 2011 and as Leader of the Public Affairs party from 2009 to 2013. His novel '' Memento'' is the f ...

and published in 1986. The story is set in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

in the 1980s. It was made into a film for Czechoslovakian television in 1990 The novel is written with literary language with elements of

argot A cant is the jargon or language of a group, often employed to exclude or mislead people outside the group.McArthur, T. (ed.) ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (1992) Oxford University Press It may also be called a cryptolect, argo ...

and

slang Slang is vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in spoken conversation but avoided in formal writing. It also sometimes refers to the language generally exclusive to the members of particular in-g ...

drug addict Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviors, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use oft ...

s. It is a subjective narration from the point of view of Michal, the main character. The author wanted to warn the public of rising drug problems in present days. Its importance lies in the fact it is the first work concerning this

taboo A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...

theme in the time of the previous totalitarian

communist regime A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state that is administered and governed by a communist party guided by Marxism–Leninism. Marxism–Leninism was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, the Cominte ...

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

. The situation at that time was that the number of addicts was growing, but it had not been publicly discussed. It warns that escaping from problems through drugs will end badly.

Synopsis

When the story opens, readers are introduced to Michal Otava, who is severely addicted to drugs, and who is taken to hospital because repeated injection of intravenous drugs has led to deep inflammation of his veins . His period within hospital care brackets the framework of the story. Michal recollects how he got involved with the narcotics underworld while still at high school. As time goes on, he becomes more deeply addicted. Michal runs away from home after experiencing unrequited love for his classmate Olina. Given that that leads nowhere, he decides to run away from home with her friend Honza. However, Michal and Honza are soon caught. Michal's authoritarian father is responsible for an abusive and dysfunctional context at home. Honza and Michal travel to a party of drug addicts in

. The addicts are informally led by the charismatic Richard. Michal falls in love with Eva, an addict whom he meets at the party. He then becomes involved within the addict subculture due to his difficulties at home and high school. At home, Michal's parents are unable to deal with his drug addiction. As a consequence of his deepening addiction, he is expelled from school shortly afterwards. He immediately joins the Czech Army, where he learns to deal with his addiction, leading it to diminish. However, after a year of military service, Michal steals a box of

morphine Morphine is a strong opiate that is found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin in poppies (''Papaver somniferum''). It is mainly used as a pain medication, and is also commonly used recreationally, or to make other illicit opioids. T ...

, and he becomes addicted again. After returning from his time within the armed forces, Michal becomes even more deeply addicted to drugs. Michal tries to live in a shared flat with Eva, but drugs permeate their relationship and they cannot tolerate each other's company without it. There are repeated attempts to go 'cold turkey' , but always either Michal or Eva relapse and trapped in co-dependency, they both become mired within the addict subculture once more. When Michal's morphine runs out, the couple rob a pharmacy together. Predictably, they are caught. Neither denies complicity and Eva and Michal are both sentenced to two years in prison. When he leaves prison, Michal tries to avoid his former social network of addicts. Honza gets in touch with him again, however. She convinces him to produce

crystal meth Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Methamphe ...

with her. Michal is still codependent with Eva, who is still in prison. Unable to resist, he starts manufacturing crystal methamphetamine and his drug dependency further worsens. Eva is now pregnant with Michal's child, but neither are able to give up drugs. Consequently, unable to deal with parental responsibilities due to her addiction, Eva has an abortion. After her abortion, they drift apart. Michal is repeatedly in prison or a psychiatric hospital over the next several years. However, he never recovers from his addiction. Eva becomes pregnant again and Michal learns that she was poisoned by

anhydrous ammonia Ammonia is an inorganic compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . A stable binary hydride, and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinct pungent smell. Biologically, it is a common nitrogenous was ...

(used in the manufacture of crystal meth) during that pregnancy. As a consequence, Eva kills herself. Michal is suffering from a severe stomach ulcer due to his crystal meth addiction so he initially disbelieves that Eva has committed suicide. Suffering from narcotic psychosis, he believes that Eva was murdered by someone from the initial addict network in Prague, which is now trying to kill Michal as well. After his latest period in prison, Michal and several neophyte addicts, prepare to avenge themselves against the network. Before he can do so, however, Michal overdoses and ends up in the hospital, which ends his period of recollection. After he is released from the hospital, Michal continues to take drugs and after another overdose he is found by his mother in a comatose condition. Doctors save him but he has permanent brain damage due to his extensive drug use. Consequently, he is now unable to live independently.Libora Oates-Indruchova "The Void of Acceptable Masculinity During Czech State Socialism: The Case of Radek John's ''Memento''" ''Men and Masculinities'':8:4: April 2006:428-450

References

{{Reflist * Vladimír Prokop, ''Přehled české literatury 20. století'' 1986 novels Czech novels Novels set in Prague

Synopsis

See also

References