Chapter 113

Christopher explains how his memory works. He says it is like a DVD that you can rewind to any point and replay the situation exactly - so long as it was after he was four years old, he clarifies, because that was when he started looking at things properly. He tells us about a scene with him and his mother in Cornwall when he was nine in 1992. To recognize someone he does not know he does a Search through his memories to see if he's seen their walk or glasses or hair before. He says he has pictures in his head of things that happened but can't understand the pictures people make up in their heads of things that haven't happened. This type of memory would be beneficial when analytical data is needed or ideas/people need to be thought of. Unfortunately this type of memory can make people socially awkward. Human interaction depends on emotion that conforms to memory rather than just recalling facts.