The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa is about people living under a dictatorship called the Memory Police whose goal is to rid the world of unnecessary things.
The Memory Police are able to reach into people’s hearts and take away memories of objects. These objects are then destroyed and the people do not care because those objects do not have meaning. These events are called disappearances.
Each disappearance is a total shift in society. If a person’s livelihood is disappeared, they have something left that remains useful to society.
The Memory Police do not face strong resistance as their disappearances begin with specialized professions and luxury objects.
At the time of a disappearance is a sense of loss generally, but also a natural acceptance as if the changes in society are normal or habitual.