So ... this thing basically consists of wandering a large map in order to pick up one object to solve one very simple puzzle, while reading triggered memories along the way? However much you dress it up with obscurities, the core of the work, as a game, is still >GET MACGUFFIN. PUT MACGUFFIN IN TROPHY CASE.
It does not appear that the goal of the author is to explore the game aspect of interactive fiction, though. It seems that he is really using the medium to feed us a story. The goal of the interactivity is to put us in the shoes of the hero and have us share in his experiences. In this respect, I do not know if the game is altogether successful. Part of the experience in which we are asked to share is the great distances traversed by the hero to discover the Macguffin alluded to above. Others have pointed out that, when a player can cover all that distance with a few keystrokes, the effect is greatly diminished. For my part, I would suggest the insertion of some sort of navigation puzzle that must be solved before we can successfully cross the trackless wastes. I would also suggest spreading the map out more. Currently, the linear nature of the map seems to suggest a sort of homing-pigeon instinct, as if our hero knew exactly where to go to find the Macguffin. A few more branches out from the main path might increase the sense of searching everywhere, which I think is another sense that the author wishes to convey.
Now, a note on writing: I prefer writing to have a little bit more red-blooded power behind it. Peter Beagle did it well. So did Evelyn Waugh. What I'm seeing here, though, is a little too much airy emotion, too little visceral feeling. The author has ability; what he needs now is discipline.
Soft, white bread, with the crusts cut off; margarine and raspberry jelly. Chamomile tea.