NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review • Esquire • BookPageA gripping novel with the pace of a thriller but the nuanced characterization and deep empathy of some of the literary canon’s most beloved novels, Remember Me Like This introduces Bret Anthony Johnston as one of the most gifted storytellers writing today. With his sophisticated and emotionally taut plot … his sophisticated and emotionally taut plot and his shimmering prose, Johnston reveals that only in caring for one another can we save ourselves.
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Four years have passed since Justin Campbell’s disappearance, a tragedy that rocked the small town of Southport, Texas. Did he run away? Was he kidnapped? Did he drown in the bay? As the Campbells search for answers, they struggle to hold what’s left of their family together.
Then, one afternoon, the impossible happens. The police call to report that Justin has been found only miles away, in the neighboring town, and, most important, he appears to be fine. Though the reunion is a miracle, Justin’s homecoming exposes the deep rifts that have diminished his family, the wounds they all carry that may never fully heal. Trying to return to normal, his parents do their best to ease Justin back into his old life. But as thick summer heat takes hold, violent storms churn in the Gulf and in the Campbells’ hearts. When a reversal of fortune lays bare the family’s greatest fears—and offers perhaps the only hope for recovery—each of them must fight to keep the ties that bind them from permanently tearing apart.
Praise for Remember Me Like This
“Enthralling . . . [an] exquisitely moral mystery of how we struggle to accept and love the people we call family.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editor’s Choice)
“I love this novel.”—John Irving
“An achingly beautiful and psychologically insightful portrait of a family . . . [a] fully immersive novel in which the language is luminous and the delivery almost flawless.”—The Boston Globe
“Riveting . . . [The novel] flows like it was plotted by Dennis Lehane but feels like it was written by Jonathan Franzen.”—Esquire
“Tremendously moving . . . There’s real humanity in Johnston’s writing, and it’s heartening to spend time with these folks as they relearn how to be a family.”—Ron Charles, The Washington Post
“Deeply empathetic and masterfully constructed . . . a novel that has both the feel of a great epic and the focused intensity of standing on a highwire.”—Salon
From the Trade Paperback edition.
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Very good in parts.
Totally unbelievable ending which negated the impact of the book. Utter lack of insight into the victim, quite ridiculous and Pollyanna-ish
It was a different twist on a sad situation. Not anything a recommend unless you like abduction stories
Remember Me Like This is beautifully written. The vivid descriptions of Southport and Corpus, the unrelenting heat, and the traumatic story of kidnapped boy’s return after four hears will stay with me. I liken this novel to Hanya Yanagihara’ s book, A Little Life. Both are masterpieces.
Incredible story, well-written, and although the things that happen and how the story unfolds is realistic, they’re unexpected.
An interesting book. I found it rambles a bit in places but it kept you guessing.
Too much describing emotions and not moving story forward. Too negative for me.
Liked it a lot. After finishing, I felt like the family was an elastic band that had the strands stretched to the max then released back to the original size. Each person was like a separate strand and stretched at his or her own rate, but in the end, they all came together as one.
One of the best books I’ve read in several years.
Good to the last page
I really enjoyed this book. It’s a very different subject matter. The author writes very well. Sometimes I laughed , sometimes I cried.
Ok you have one or of one and only and only have
This beautifully written book reminded me of “Room”, both spinning around a central character whose lives have within the book a “before” and an “after”. There is wonderful character building, suspense, some remaining mystery as to what happened while the character was away, and the different ways in which the community responds to that mystery. As the title reflects, there is an aching for remembering the “before”. This is a wonderfully original book.
An interesting book that both captured my attention and bogged down at times! Tho the initial subject is harrowing, the overall story is uplifting!
Some parts of the story line didn’t seem plausible. For example, the older son is kidnapped but lives with the man who took him very near his family home. At his age it seems likely he would have been able to contact his family. Also, the younger brother is involved in a sexual relationship with a girl although he should only be about 12-13 years old. However, if the boys were switched in the story it makes more sense; the kidnapped child would have been about 9 and his brother would have been about 15-16 when he returned. Much more plausible. Ending feels inadequate–expected a more dramatic turn.
Original story. Very well told.
I deeply moving book about longing and loss. About joy and its flipside. Depicts family dynamics in a knowing and illuminating way. A wise book. A gift of a book.
Intense
original plot and unusual take on the return of a missing child and the effects on his family. Not unrealistic, but well pulled together in the end.
I loved this book…everything about it. The characters are memorable and the situation heart breaking. A similar crime occurred in my community, so I know it’s all too realistic. I used to live where the book is set, and the book perfectly portrays the climate and atmosphere of the town, and the people I met when I lived there. I was captivated while I was reading it…not much else was done in my house until I finished it. The book, and the characters, live on in my mind.