diff --git a/src/memtable.zig b/src/memtable.zig
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9b4959a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/memtable.zig
@@ -0,0 +1,241 @@
+const std = @import("std");
+const encode = @import("encode.zig");
+
+const Allocator = std.mem.Allocator;
+const Kind = encode.Kind;
+const Record = encode.Record;
+
+const maxLevel = 16;
+
+const Node = struct {
+    key: []u8,
+    value: []u8,
+    seq: u64,
+    kind: Kind,
+    forward: []?*Node,
+    backward: ?*Node,
+};
+
+pub const Memtable = struct {
+    allocator: Allocator,
+    head: *Node,
+    level: usize,
+    byteSize: usize,
+    count: usize,
+    rngState: u64,
+
+    pub fn init(allocator: Allocator) !Memtable {
+        const head = try makeNode(allocator, &.{}, &.{}, 0, .value, maxLevel);
+        return .{
+            .allocator = allocator,
+            .head = head,
+            .level = 1,
+            .byteSize = 0,
+            .count = 0,
+            .rngState = 0x243f6a8885a308d3,
+        };
+    }
+
+    pub fn deinit(self: *Memtable) void {
+        var node = self.head.forward[0];
+        while (node) |current| {
+            const nextNode = current.forward[0];
+            self.freeNode(current);
+            node = nextNode;
+        }
+        self.allocator.free(self.head.forward);
+        self.allocator.destroy(self.head);
+    }
+
+    pub fn clear(self: *Memtable) void {
+        var node = self.head.forward[0];
+        while (node) |current| {
+            const nextNode = current.forward[0];
+            self.freeNode(current);
+            node = nextNode;
+        }
+        var i: usize = 0;
+        while (i < maxLevel) : (i += 1) self.head.forward[i] = null;
+        self.level = 1;
+        self.byteSize = 0;
+        self.count = 0;
+    }
+
+    pub fn upsert(self: *Memtable, kind: Kind, seq: u64, key: []const u8, value: []const u8) !void {
+        var update: [maxLevel]*Node = undefined;
+        var node = self.head;
+        var lvl: usize = self.level;
+        while (lvl > 0) {
+            lvl -= 1;
+            while (node.forward[lvl]) |next| {
+                if (std.mem.order(u8, next.key, key) == .lt) {
+                    node = next;
+                } else break;
+            }
+            update[lvl] = node;
+        }
+
+        const candidate = node.forward[0];
+        if (candidate) |existing| {
+            if (std.mem.eql(u8, existing.key, key)) {
+                const newValue = try self.allocator.dupe(u8, value);
+                self.byteSize = self.byteSize - existing.value.len + newValue.len;
+                self.allocator.free(existing.value);
+                existing.value = newValue;
+                existing.seq = seq;
+                existing.kind = kind;
+                return;
+            }
+        }
+
+        const newLevel = self.randomLevel();
+        if (newLevel > self.level) {
+            var i = self.level;
+            while (i < newLevel) : (i += 1) update[i] = self.head;
+            self.level = newLevel;
+        }
+
+        const created = try makeNode(self.allocator, key, value, seq, kind, newLevel);
+        var i: usize = 0;
+        while (i < newLevel) : (i += 1) {
+            created.forward[i] = update[i].forward[i];
+            update[i].forward[i] = created;
+        }
+        created.backward = if (update[0] == self.head) null else update[0];
+        if (created.forward[0]) |successor| successor.backward = created;
+        self.byteSize += key.len + value.len;
+        self.count += 1;
+    }
+
+    pub fn find(self: *const Memtable, key: []const u8) ?Record {
+        var node = self.head;
+        var lvl: usize = self.level;
+        while (lvl > 0) {
+            lvl -= 1;
+            while (node.forward[lvl]) |next| {
+                if (std.mem.order(u8, next.key, key) == .lt) {
+                    node = next;
+                } else break;
+            }
+        }
+        const candidate = node.forward[0];
+        if (candidate) |existing| {
+            if (std.mem.eql(u8, existing.key, key)) return nodeRecord(existing);
+        }
+        return null;
+    }
+
+    pub fn findAsOf(self: *const Memtable, key: []const u8, maxSeq: u64) ?Record {
+        const rec = self.find(key) orelse return null;
+        if (rec.seq > maxSeq) return null;
+        return rec;
+    }
+
+    pub fn cursor(self: *const Memtable, start: ?[]const u8) Cursor {
+        var node = self.head;
+        if (start) |startKey| {
+            var lvl: usize = self.level;
+            while (lvl > 0) {
+                lvl -= 1;
+                while (node.forward[lvl]) |next| {
+                    if (std.mem.order(u8, next.key, startKey) == .lt) {
+                        node = next;
+                    } else break;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        return .{ .current = node.forward[0] };
+    }
+
+    pub fn cursorRev(self: *const Memtable, end: ?[]const u8, endInclusive: bool) ReverseCursor {
+        var node = self.head;
+        var lvl: usize = self.level;
+        while (lvl > 0) {
+            lvl -= 1;
+            while (node.forward[lvl]) |next| {
+                const withinEnd = if (end) |bound|
+                    (if (endInclusive) std.mem.order(u8, next.key, bound) != .gt else std.mem.order(u8, next.key, bound) == .lt)
+                else
+                    true;
+                if (withinEnd) {
+                    node = next;
+                } else break;
+            }
+        }
+        return .{ .current = if (node == self.head) null else node };
+    }
+
+    fn randomLevel(self: *Memtable) usize {
+        var lvl: usize = 1;
+        while (lvl < maxLevel and (self.nextRandom() & 0x3) == 0) : (lvl += 1) {}
+        return lvl;
+    }
+
+    fn nextRandom(self: *Memtable) u64 {
+        var x = self.rngState;
+        x ^= x << 13;
+        x ^= x >> 7;
+        x ^= x << 17;
+        self.rngState = x;
+        return x;
+    }
+
+    fn freeNode(self: *Memtable, node: *Node) void {
+        self.allocator.free(node.key);
+        self.allocator.free(node.value);
+        self.allocator.free(node.forward);
+        self.allocator.destroy(node);
+    }
+};
+
+pub const Cursor = struct {
+    current: ?*Node,
+
+    pub fn valid(self: *const Cursor) bool {
+        return self.current != null;
+    }
+
+    pub fn record(self: *const Cursor) Record {
+        return nodeRecord(self.current.?);
+    }
+
+    pub fn advance(self: *Cursor) void {
+        self.current = self.current.?.forward[0];
+    }
+};
+
+pub const ReverseCursor = struct {
+    current: ?*Node,
+
+    pub fn valid(self: *const ReverseCursor) bool {
+        return self.current != null;
+    }
+
+    pub fn record(self: *const ReverseCursor) Record {
+        return nodeRecord(self.current.?);
+    }
+
+    pub fn advance(self: *ReverseCursor) void {
+        self.current = self.current.?.backward;
+    }
+};
+
+fn nodeRecord(node: *Node) Record {
+    return .{ .key = node.key, .value = node.value, .seq = node.seq, .kind = node.kind };
+}
+
+fn makeNode(allocator: Allocator, key: []const u8, value: []const u8, seq: u64, kind: Kind, level: usize) !*Node {
+    const node = try allocator.create(Node);
+    errdefer allocator.destroy(node);
+    node.key = try allocator.dupe(u8, key);
+    errdefer allocator.free(node.key);
+    node.value = try allocator.dupe(u8, value);
+    errdefer allocator.free(node.value);
+    node.seq = seq;
+    node.kind = kind;
+    node.backward = null;
+    node.forward = try allocator.alloc(?*Node, level);
+    var i: usize = 0;
+    while (i < level) : (i += 1) node.forward[i] = null;
+    return node;
+}