Everything I Don't Remember

Description

Dazzling, inventive, witty: a writer pieces together the story of a young man's death in an exhilarating narrative puzzle reminiscent of the hit podcast Serial A young man called Samuel dies, but was it an accident or suicide? An unnamed writer with an agenda of his own sets out to piece together Samuel's story. Through conversations with friends, relatives and neighbours, a portrait emerges: the loving grandchild, the reluctant bureaucrat, the loyal friend, the contrived poser. The young man who would do anything for his girlfriend Laide and share everything with his friend Vandad. Until Vandad, marginalised and broke, desperate to get closer to Samuel, drives a wedge between the friends, and Samuel loses them both. Everything I Don't Remember is an enthralling tale of love and memory. It is also the story of a writer who, in filling out the contours of Samuel's life, is trying to grasp a universal truth - in the end, how do we account for the substance of a life? 'Heartbreakingly sad and laugh-out-loud funny' Hari Kunzru 'My books of the year Jonas Hassen Khemiri's enigmatic novel' Joyce Carol Oates 'Unforgettable. In this non-putdownable puzzle of a story, Khemiri manages to both thrill and break your heart' Gary Shteyngart

Jonas Hassen Khemiri is a novelist and internationally acclaimed playwright considered to be one of the most important young writers in Sweden, where his debut novel was major bestseller and a generation-defining book. His fourth novel, Everything I Don't Remember, was awarded the August Prize, Sweden's highest literary honour, and was a Top Ten bestseller. Khemiri lives in Stockholm with his family.

'Heartbreakingly sad and laugh-out-loud funny . . . Khemiri's wry, sharply observed tales of post-9/11 Swedish life have a huge following. This novel's chorus of drifters, romantics and cynics stick in the memory, each competing to tell their own truth' -- Hari Kunzru, author of Gods Without Men 'My books of the year Jonas Hassen Khemiri's enigmatic novel Everything I Don't Remember' -- Joyce Carol Oates 'Unforgettable. In this non-putdownable puzzle of a story, Khemiri manages to both thrill and break your heart' -- Gary Shteyngart, author of Super Sad True Love Story 'A wonderful and mysterious book. Close to a journalistic or criminal investigation, every sentence trembles with Khemeri's electrifying prose. A very original tour de force that vibrated in my mind long after I had read the last page' -- Herman Koch, author of The Dinner 'Khemiri's fascinating puzzle of a book is a compelling examination of probity and perspective' -- Carys Bray, author of A Song for Issy Bradley 'Khemiri's audacious and richly drawn novel pushes the boundaries of literary fiction . . . Beneath [the] strutural pyrotechnics lies a broader story of imposition, appropriation and lack of individual agency: that of the immigrant experience' -- Lucy Scholes * The National * 'With its energetic prose and innovative structure, Everything I Don't Remember confirms that Jonas Hassen Khemiri is not only one of Sweden's best authors, but a great talent of our time' -- Vendela Vida, author of The Diver's Clothes Lie Empty 'Jonas Hassen Khemiri has crafted an enthralling jigsaw-puzzle of a book. Part love story, part reflection on loss, on memory, Everything I Don't Remember is a smart, one-of-a-kind literary novel that is both beautiful and heartbreaking. This is storytelling at its best' -- Jennifer McMahon, New York Times-bestselling author of The Night Sister 'A wonderful exploration of human motivation. Khemiri writes with an acute sense of perspective and his clean, conceptual prose is gripping from start to finish' -- Nikita Lalwani, author of Gifted 'Multiple-award winning novelist and playwright Khemiri is revered in his native Sweden. This intelligent, sensitive book explains why' * Big Issue * 'Everything I Don't Remember is an impressive piece of work, and one senses that the novel is exactly what Khemiri intended it to be, which is a feat in itself' * New York Journal of Books *