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The Reminders
Ten-year-old Joan was born with a rare gift: she can remember every single day of her life in perfect detail. She can tell you how many times her mother has uttered the phrase ‘it never fails’ in the last six months (twenty-seven), or what she was wearing when her grandfather took her fishing on a particular Sunday in June years ago (fox socks).
But Joan doesn’t want to be the girl who remembers everything – she wants to be the girl that no one can forget. When her father’s old bandmate Gavin comes to stay, reeling from the sudden loss of his partner Sydney, Joan is keen to enlist his help in making her name. Even if it means using her extraordinary memory to help him solve the mystery of Sydney’s final months...
Told in the alternating voices of two unforgettable characters, The Reminders is a funny, heart-wrenching and uplifting story of friendship, grief, memory and hope.
But Joan doesn’t want to be the girl who remembers everything – she wants to be the girl that no one can forget. When her father’s old bandmate Gavin comes to stay, reeling from the sudden loss of his partner Sydney, Joan is keen to enlist his help in making her name. Even if it means using her extraordinary memory to help him solve the mystery of Sydney’s final months...
Told in the alternating voices of two unforgettable characters, The Reminders is a funny, heart-wrenching and uplifting story of friendship, grief, memory and hope.
310 pages, Paperback
First published May 30, 2017
211 people are currently reading
5247 people want to read
About the author
Val Emmich
7 books505 followersDubbed a "Renaissance Man" by the New York Post, Val Emmich is a writer, a singer-songwriter, and an actor. His first novel, The Reminders, was a Barnes & Noble Discover New Writers selection and his follow-up, Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel, based on the hit Broadway show, was a New York Times bestseller. He's had recurring roles on Vinyl and Ugly Betty, as well as a memorable guest role as Tina Fey's coffee-boy fling, Jamie, on 30 Rock. Emmich lives in Jersey City, New Jersey.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 566 reviews
March 14, 2018
There is a scene in the book where an email is written and sent out by Joan, the little girl in the book, to her partner in a song-writing contest. I read through it and it was sweet and endearing. Then I set down my eReader and went to get something in the kitchen – and the tears started streaming down my cheeks. Round, warm tears – the kind that are like hot fudge on an ice cream sundae.
From that point onward to the end of the book, tears and I kept frequent company. I’m imagining the 5 Stars for this review in a .gif with 5 little boxes of tissues alternately flashing with the Stars in glowing colours.
There is another little scene Joan narrates: “Miss [-----] has a look on her face like someone farted. It wasn’t me.” I literally laughed out loud – it was so unexpected and so perfectly written. There were many of those moments, too – not necessarily laugh-out-loud funny, but definitely chuckle-worthy and heart-warming at the very least.
Joan Lennon is her real name when she leaves her last name out of it. She is 10 years old and has a gift that is called HSAM, or highly superior autobiographical memory. What this means is she can remember everything in her life that she actually experienced or was part of – including the exact date, the day of the week, and some cases, the time – as long as she looked at a clock while the event was happening. She doesn’t perceive it as a gift because she remembers everything and often feels forgotten in comparison. Thus the song-writing contest. With her Dad’s help and his home recording studio, she wants to write and compose a song that will ensure people remember her.
Gavin is a family friend whose life partner died suddenly and he tries to excise Sydney from his life because he does not know what to do with his pain. After an embarrassing incident, he decides to travel back East where their friends Paige, Ollie, and their daughter Joan live. Although he doesn’t want to remember, he cannot pass up the opportunity of hearing from Joan about each of Sydney’s visits – what he was wearing, what he said, what they did. Gavin and Joan bond through her memories and she solicits his help in her songwriting project.
The relationship between these two is something very special. Yet, none of the other characters are neglected, either – even Sydney emerges as a very interesting person and a perfect complement to Gavin. The storyline in this book is sad and tragic in some ways; it is also funny, uplifting, and inspiring.
The musical aspects of this story resonated (which is what guitars do, but also words – as Joan points out) with me very deeply. I could picture the music studio even before Joan’s little drawing from her journal popped up. I could also relate strongly to the creative process they were involved in while working on their song.
What touched me the deepest was experiencing the relationships and the healing that took place between the characters. I experienced with them the two steps forward, one step back shuffle of emerging from a very dark place and into a much brighter one. This book drew on my empathy and had me pulling on the oars for them with everything I had. I loved reading this book and highly recommend it to everyone.
From that point onward to the end of the book, tears and I kept frequent company. I’m imagining the 5 Stars for this review in a .gif with 5 little boxes of tissues alternately flashing with the Stars in glowing colours.
There is another little scene Joan narrates: “Miss [-----] has a look on her face like someone farted. It wasn’t me.” I literally laughed out loud – it was so unexpected and so perfectly written. There were many of those moments, too – not necessarily laugh-out-loud funny, but definitely chuckle-worthy and heart-warming at the very least.
Joan Lennon is her real name when she leaves her last name out of it. She is 10 years old and has a gift that is called HSAM, or highly superior autobiographical memory. What this means is she can remember everything in her life that she actually experienced or was part of – including the exact date, the day of the week, and some cases, the time – as long as she looked at a clock while the event was happening. She doesn’t perceive it as a gift because she remembers everything and often feels forgotten in comparison. Thus the song-writing contest. With her Dad’s help and his home recording studio, she wants to write and compose a song that will ensure people remember her.
Gavin is a family friend whose life partner died suddenly and he tries to excise Sydney from his life because he does not know what to do with his pain. After an embarrassing incident, he decides to travel back East where their friends Paige, Ollie, and their daughter Joan live. Although he doesn’t want to remember, he cannot pass up the opportunity of hearing from Joan about each of Sydney’s visits – what he was wearing, what he said, what they did. Gavin and Joan bond through her memories and she solicits his help in her songwriting project.
The relationship between these two is something very special. Yet, none of the other characters are neglected, either – even Sydney emerges as a very interesting person and a perfect complement to Gavin. The storyline in this book is sad and tragic in some ways; it is also funny, uplifting, and inspiring.
The musical aspects of this story resonated (which is what guitars do, but also words – as Joan points out) with me very deeply. I could picture the music studio even before Joan’s little drawing from her journal popped up. I could also relate strongly to the creative process they were involved in while working on their song.
What touched me the deepest was experiencing the relationships and the healing that took place between the characters. I experienced with them the two steps forward, one step back shuffle of emerging from a very dark place and into a much brighter one. This book drew on my empathy and had me pulling on the oars for them with everything I had. I loved reading this book and highly recommend it to everyone.
November 19, 2016
I'd rate this 4.5 stars.
"...for most people, memories are like fairy tales, which means they're simpler and funnier and happier and more exciting than how life really is. I don't understand how people can pretend something happened differently than it actually did, but Dad says they don't even realize they're pretending."
Ten-year-old Joan Sully has HSAM, or highly superior autobiographical memory. She can recall every day in her life in explicit detail—she knows what day of the week any day was, what she was wearing, what she was doing, who she was with, and what they said to her.
While this ability certainly comes in handy at times, it's actually very hard to live with. She's not able to enjoy things like movies because something will remind her of a memory from another day, and she'll start replaying that entire day in her head. Not only that, but Joan's mother doesn't like to be reminded how many times she's uttered the phrase "it never fails" over the last six months. (Twenty-seven.)
For someone who can remember everything so clearly, Joan's biggest fear is being forgotten. She saw it happen when her beloved grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and Joan misses her terribly. An aspiring musician who worships John Lennon, Joan is determined to win a songwriting contest, which she believes will be the first step she needs on the road to notoriety.
Gavin Winters is just starting to experience success as an actor after many years of trying. His life is utterly rocked by the sudden death of his partner, Sydney, and he doesn't know how to cope without him. After the decision to rid himself of anything in the couple's house that reminds him of Sydney gets a little more media attention than he's expecting, Gavin flees their home in Los Angeles for New Jersey, where he hopes to hide out at the home of his old college roommate, who happens to be Joan's father.
At first Gavin is unsure how to handle Joan and her memory, but then he realizes he can use it to his advantage: Joan can tell him in detail each of the times Sydney visited, what he talked about, how he seemed. If Joan shares these memories with him, Gavin agrees to help Joan write her song, and even sing it.
"I was wrong about there being no way of building new memories of Sydney. They can be found, it turns out, in the minds of others."
As Joan shares her memories of Sydney, Gavin starts to discover that there were secrets Sydney was keeping from him. What was Sydney hiding? Was their relationship everything Gavin believed it was, was Sydney the man Gavin thought he was, or were his perceptions vastly different from reality? Sometimes in our desire to remember things, we uncover things we might wish we never knew.
This is a sweet, moving, and thought-provoking book. Val Emmich, who is a terrific musician and an actor, shows real finesse with his debut novel, creating memorable characters and situations that might not always surprise you, but definitely tug at your heartstrings, although not in a manipulative way. (At times Joan seemed a little odd, but then I remembered she was only 10.) If you've ever dealt with the loss of a loved one, you know what it's like to wish you said one more thing, spent more time together instead of worrying about what seemed insurmountable at the time. And if you've ever thought that having a better memory would be a blessing, this book helps you see the flip side of that.
I really liked this book and found it tremendously charming. But can I now put in a plea for no more books featuring characters with unique illnesses or syndromes? So far this year I've seen Moebius syndrome (David Arnold's Kids of Appetite ) and prosopagnosia (Jennifer Niven's Holding up the Universe ), not to mention the various maladies that affected Ivan Isaenko (in Scott Stambach's The Invisible Life of Ivan Isaenko ). I'm a hypochondriac, so I'm thankful that none of these are contagious, or otherwise I'd be absolutely miserable!
I look forward to seeing what's next for Val Emmich. I know I'll keep listening to his music, and I'll read whatever he writes in the future!
NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
"...for most people, memories are like fairy tales, which means they're simpler and funnier and happier and more exciting than how life really is. I don't understand how people can pretend something happened differently than it actually did, but Dad says they don't even realize they're pretending."
Ten-year-old Joan Sully has HSAM, or highly superior autobiographical memory. She can recall every day in her life in explicit detail—she knows what day of the week any day was, what she was wearing, what she was doing, who she was with, and what they said to her.
While this ability certainly comes in handy at times, it's actually very hard to live with. She's not able to enjoy things like movies because something will remind her of a memory from another day, and she'll start replaying that entire day in her head. Not only that, but Joan's mother doesn't like to be reminded how many times she's uttered the phrase "it never fails" over the last six months. (Twenty-seven.)
For someone who can remember everything so clearly, Joan's biggest fear is being forgotten. She saw it happen when her beloved grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and Joan misses her terribly. An aspiring musician who worships John Lennon, Joan is determined to win a songwriting contest, which she believes will be the first step she needs on the road to notoriety.
Gavin Winters is just starting to experience success as an actor after many years of trying. His life is utterly rocked by the sudden death of his partner, Sydney, and he doesn't know how to cope without him. After the decision to rid himself of anything in the couple's house that reminds him of Sydney gets a little more media attention than he's expecting, Gavin flees their home in Los Angeles for New Jersey, where he hopes to hide out at the home of his old college roommate, who happens to be Joan's father.
At first Gavin is unsure how to handle Joan and her memory, but then he realizes he can use it to his advantage: Joan can tell him in detail each of the times Sydney visited, what he talked about, how he seemed. If Joan shares these memories with him, Gavin agrees to help Joan write her song, and even sing it.
"I was wrong about there being no way of building new memories of Sydney. They can be found, it turns out, in the minds of others."
As Joan shares her memories of Sydney, Gavin starts to discover that there were secrets Sydney was keeping from him. What was Sydney hiding? Was their relationship everything Gavin believed it was, was Sydney the man Gavin thought he was, or were his perceptions vastly different from reality? Sometimes in our desire to remember things, we uncover things we might wish we never knew.
This is a sweet, moving, and thought-provoking book. Val Emmich, who is a terrific musician and an actor, shows real finesse with his debut novel, creating memorable characters and situations that might not always surprise you, but definitely tug at your heartstrings, although not in a manipulative way. (At times Joan seemed a little odd, but then I remembered she was only 10.) If you've ever dealt with the loss of a loved one, you know what it's like to wish you said one more thing, spent more time together instead of worrying about what seemed insurmountable at the time. And if you've ever thought that having a better memory would be a blessing, this book helps you see the flip side of that.
I really liked this book and found it tremendously charming. But can I now put in a plea for no more books featuring characters with unique illnesses or syndromes? So far this year I've seen Moebius syndrome (David Arnold's Kids of Appetite ) and prosopagnosia (Jennifer Niven's Holding up the Universe ), not to mention the various maladies that affected Ivan Isaenko (in Scott Stambach's The Invisible Life of Ivan Isaenko ). I'm a hypochondriac, so I'm thankful that none of these are contagious, or otherwise I'd be absolutely miserable!
I look forward to seeing what's next for Val Emmich. I know I'll keep listening to his music, and I'll read whatever he writes in the future!
NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
July 6, 2021
4.5 Stars
Joan Lennon Sully, age ten, has HSAM (highly superior autobiographical memory) and wants to be remembered. Her grandmother forgot her toward the end, despite Joan’s attempts to get her to remember her. It never worked.
“Grandma, it’s me.” She tries. She really tries. But I’m not there. Grandma Joan had to throw me out of her brainbox so she could have enough room for the lyrics to all her favorite songs. She remembered those until the day she died (Saturday, October 8, 2011).
If Grandma Joan was able to forget me, that means anyone can. Even Dad.
Gavin Winter, on the other hand, wants only to forget. When his partner Sydney died, everywhere he looked he saw reminders of him. Another reminder that Sydney was gone, only old memories left, no new ones to make together.
Everywhere I turn are reminders, some three-dimensional, others invisible, al of them speaking and taking up space.
One night, in an attempt to free himself of these reminders, this overwhelming grief, he gets rid of virtually everything in their house he could associate with Sydney. It’s only fairly recently he’s achieved some notoriety as an actor, so his recent grief-filled behavior gets more than a little media attention. In an attempt to escape it all, the media, the reminders of everything he’s lost, he leaves California to return to New Jersey, his home state, and home of old college friends who happen to be Joan’s parents, Paige and Ollie.
Still media bruised and emotionally in tatters, Gavin arrives at the home of Joan’s parents. Bandmates once upon a time with Ollie, they shared old memories, just as Sydney and Paige had their own old memories that they had shared. But it’s really Joan that Gavin begins to form a bond with as he remembers what he’s heard about her gift. Questioning his destruction of all memories of Sydney now, when there are now no new ones to look forward to. Perhaps with Joan, Gavin can find new memories of Sydney.
Joan remembers things from early on in her life, but not everything – only the things she was focused on at the time. Conversations, who was wearing what, what day of the week, the date. She doesn’t like to wear the same outfit more than once. But she can remember the dates that Sydney visited; she can remember the things they talked about, how he looked and what he said.
Joan wants to be remembered, like John Lennon, but she also wants to help save her family. Her father’s on the verge of leaving his music career behind for a job that is just that: a job. Not a passion or something he loves. Income. She’s found a way, she thinks. A songwriter’s contest. Maybe with some help from Gavin, she can save it all from dissolving like her grandmother’s memories.
Memories, be it remembering everything or forgetting, being or feeling forgotten, are at the heart of this novel – the importance of memories. Joan’s quest for fame, for the immortality that she believes come with fame – the idea of being forgotten is such a foreign concept to her.
There is much to love about this debut novel. It is charming, endearing, without being overly sentimental, heartwarming, with unique and charismatic characters. I loved that Joan’s HSAM was counterbalanced with her grandmother’s Alzheimer’s, the wishing to forget painful memories offset with painfully wishing we could recall them. I loved that the story is told in alternating chapters through the voices of Joan and Gavin, which added yet more to the story.
Published: 30 May 2017
Many thanks for the ARC provided by Little, Brown and Company
September 29, 2017
Library ebook.....
My all time favorite part of this book was towards the end...there was a funny scene.... which took place on a TV network show - hilarious! By far - the best scene!
Mandy/Mindy..... Gavin.... “ you guys are ok”! Cracked me up and genuinely warmed my heart.
Most of the book is a little schmaltzy- and I never believed for one second that ten year old Joan would speak in many of the ways she did. Was she really sad that people couldn’t remember her ‘half’ birthday? There were many of these type sentences that had me shaking my head.
Yet.... this novel is little like a variety goodie bag.....with definitely gems to enjoy - others not worth remembering.
In this goodie bag we have something for everyone:
.....precocious 10-year-old, Joan, with Autobiographical Memory, ( HSAM), - the rare ability to recall every day of her life in cinematic detail.
.....We have sketches ( drawings to view), by Joan.
.....We have a music theme - “COME TOGETHER”... the love of John Lennon - and several of our main characters are musicians: Joan, dad Ollie... and friend of the family Gavin.
.....Mom, Paige, is a teacher. She is a loving protective mother - wife - friend —�( ALL AROUND GRACIOUS HUMAN BEING)
..... Sydney was Gavin’s partner who died. They were living in Los Angles at the time of Sydney’s death — Gavin a TV actor goes to New Jersey to stay with Ollie, Paige and Joan to Rest - forget - ( morn) Syndney. Syndney had been close friends with this family too.
..... SECRETS .... (yep...this novel has its secret: predictable- yet we’re forgiving)
......SADNESS & Grief...it’s part of the story - but I didn’t ever feel it overshadowed
the inspiring friendship that was growing at the same time.
..... Alzheimer’s disease.... ( lightly part of this story)
......death ... loss ... love ... family ... friendships... dramatic moments humor ...
.....struggles ....
.....conflict/ resolutions between gay couples - and their differences about having a child.
......*We have the great outspoken- most straight forward honest speaking character
(definitely most likable gem in my goodie bag), ....and that’s GAVIN!
......and last we have shared memories- and a touching relationships....especially Gavin’s relationship with Joan.
So.... this goodie bag was overall pretty good. A little on the sweet side - but a heartwarming quick read.
3.6
My all time favorite part of this book was towards the end...there was a funny scene.... which took place on a TV network show - hilarious! By far - the best scene!
Mandy/Mindy..... Gavin.... “ you guys are ok”! Cracked me up and genuinely warmed my heart.
Most of the book is a little schmaltzy- and I never believed for one second that ten year old Joan would speak in many of the ways she did. Was she really sad that people couldn’t remember her ‘half’ birthday? There were many of these type sentences that had me shaking my head.
Yet.... this novel is little like a variety goodie bag.....with definitely gems to enjoy - others not worth remembering.
In this goodie bag we have something for everyone:
.....precocious 10-year-old, Joan, with Autobiographical Memory, ( HSAM), - the rare ability to recall every day of her life in cinematic detail.
.....We have sketches ( drawings to view), by Joan.
.....We have a music theme - “COME TOGETHER”... the love of John Lennon - and several of our main characters are musicians: Joan, dad Ollie... and friend of the family Gavin.
.....Mom, Paige, is a teacher. She is a loving protective mother - wife - friend —�( ALL AROUND GRACIOUS HUMAN BEING)
..... Sydney was Gavin’s partner who died. They were living in Los Angles at the time of Sydney’s death — Gavin a TV actor goes to New Jersey to stay with Ollie, Paige and Joan to Rest - forget - ( morn) Syndney. Syndney had been close friends with this family too.
..... SECRETS .... (yep...this novel has its secret: predictable- yet we’re forgiving)
......SADNESS & Grief...it’s part of the story - but I didn’t ever feel it overshadowed
the inspiring friendship that was growing at the same time.
..... Alzheimer’s disease.... ( lightly part of this story)
......death ... loss ... love ... family ... friendships... dramatic moments humor ...
.....struggles ....
.....conflict/ resolutions between gay couples - and their differences about having a child.
......*We have the great outspoken- most straight forward honest speaking character
(definitely most likable gem in my goodie bag), ....and that’s GAVIN!
......and last we have shared memories- and a touching relationships....especially Gavin’s relationship with Joan.
So.... this goodie bag was overall pretty good. A little on the sweet side - but a heartwarming quick read.
3.6
June 4, 2017
3.5 Stars.
THE REMINDERS is a delightful story and Joan Lennon Sully is an amazing, amusing and serious minded little ten year old protagonist.....with HSAM. (Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory) She is one of very few people in the world who can remember exactly what she did on any particular date in "her" life...who she was with, what they were doing, their exact clothing, and most important to this narrative...their conversations...word for word.
With music always on her mind...The Beatles...in particular, the talented guitar strumming Joan Lennon decides to enter a song writing contest with the assistance of her musically gifted father and new actor friend. A bereaved Gavin, however, is in no mood for Joan's antics, but soon finds himself traipsing all over town searching for clues in a recently uncovered and somewhat disturbing bit of mystery.
Entertaining debut filled with cherished memories, special friendships and the pain of starting over.
Many thanks to NetGalley, and Little, Brown and Company for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 6, 2017
3.5 Sweet, a little too sweet but oh so charming and readable. Quite fell for young Joan, ten years old with a memory very few in the world have, and she the youngest by far. She literally remembers every detail of every moment since the age of three. She realizes others, including her mom and dad, don't have anything close to her memory, and she is afraid of being forgotten. Enter Gavin, whose partner Oliver has died at a fairly young age, mid fifties, of a heart attack. Gavin is a star of a television series, well known and when in a moment of extreme grief he burns all of Oliver's belongings, he is caught on someone's film. He escapes to the home of he and Oliver's old friends, whom happen to be Joan's parents.
Music is the connection, a connection Joan shares with her Dad , and the connection between her and Gavin. In the past Gavin and her dad were in a band and made music together. They all love the Beatles, Paul and John in particular. The heading of each chapter is the title of a Beatles song. This story has surprising layers and flows particularly well. A look at the way adults and one prococious child handle the changes in their lives as well as the many ways people show grief. Many, many good things about this book written in a light manner, a mostly feel good kind of story? Alas, a little too sweet for this reader who loves salt more than sugar. A good summer read though, or when one needs to find something lighter.
ARC from Netgalley.
Music is the connection, a connection Joan shares with her Dad , and the connection between her and Gavin. In the past Gavin and her dad were in a band and made music together. They all love the Beatles, Paul and John in particular. The heading of each chapter is the title of a Beatles song. This story has surprising layers and flows particularly well. A look at the way adults and one prococious child handle the changes in their lives as well as the many ways people show grief. Many, many good things about this book written in a light manner, a mostly feel good kind of story? Alas, a little too sweet for this reader who loves salt more than sugar. A good summer read though, or when one needs to find something lighter.
ARC from Netgalley.
November 8, 2019
**Val Emmich is one of the authors who will be at the National Literary Festival at St Mary's College, Notre Dame, IN, on November 8 and 9, 2019: https://www.saintmarys.edu/LiteraryFe...
I loved this novel whose main theme is memory and its importance in life. Joan Lennon Sully is a ten-year-old girl with HSAM--highly superior autobiographical memory--meaning she can recall every detail of her life from the time she was three. She really wants to be remembered by other people though and to that end, wants to become a famous songwriter by winning a contest. Her biggest inspiration is John Lennon.
Her parents' friend, TV actor Gavin Winters, comes to stay at their house in New Jersey, after the untimely death of his partner, Sydney. He hopes to escape the devastating daily reminders of his love that surround him in their home in LA but finds himself drawn to Joan's memories of the times Sydney visited them. In some ways, it's as if her memories are bringing Sydney back to life.
But there's a mystery too. It appears that Sydney lied to Gavin about two recent trips to NYC. What was he up to? Can Gavin and Joan retrace his steps using hints in her memories?
Joan and Gavin each tell their stories in alternating chapters. They are delightfully-drawn characters! The two become fast friends as each helps the other with their projects.
Through this story we examine what role memories play in our lives, what triggers them, what it means to lose them to diseases like Alzheimers. Is fame really important or is it more important to remain in the hearts of those who have loved us, in their memories? How would you answer this question if asked, What is your fondest memory of someone you hold most dear? This is such a warm-hearted story about love, friendship and family. I highly recommend!
I've been trying to read a book from as many of the authors as possible who will be at the National Literary Festival this weekend. This book is definitely one of my favorites and I look forward to reading more of this author's work.
I loved this novel whose main theme is memory and its importance in life. Joan Lennon Sully is a ten-year-old girl with HSAM--highly superior autobiographical memory--meaning she can recall every detail of her life from the time she was three. She really wants to be remembered by other people though and to that end, wants to become a famous songwriter by winning a contest. Her biggest inspiration is John Lennon.
Her parents' friend, TV actor Gavin Winters, comes to stay at their house in New Jersey, after the untimely death of his partner, Sydney. He hopes to escape the devastating daily reminders of his love that surround him in their home in LA but finds himself drawn to Joan's memories of the times Sydney visited them. In some ways, it's as if her memories are bringing Sydney back to life.
But there's a mystery too. It appears that Sydney lied to Gavin about two recent trips to NYC. What was he up to? Can Gavin and Joan retrace his steps using hints in her memories?
Joan and Gavin each tell their stories in alternating chapters. They are delightfully-drawn characters! The two become fast friends as each helps the other with their projects.
Through this story we examine what role memories play in our lives, what triggers them, what it means to lose them to diseases like Alzheimers. Is fame really important or is it more important to remain in the hearts of those who have loved us, in their memories? How would you answer this question if asked, What is your fondest memory of someone you hold most dear? This is such a warm-hearted story about love, friendship and family. I highly recommend!
I've been trying to read a book from as many of the authors as possible who will be at the National Literary Festival this weekend. This book is definitely one of my favorites and I look forward to reading more of this author's work.
July 7, 2017
Joan Lennon Sully is not your usual ten year old girl. Sharing a love of music, that of John Lennon, in particular, with her musician father, she lives with dad Ollie and teacher mum, Paige, in New York. Joan also has Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (or HSAM for short). This is not a photographic memory, but she can recall memories which are personal to her. So, although she cannot recount endless lists of facts and figures that help her ace tests, she can tell people what she was doing in virtually every day of her childhood. Joan believes her memory was affected by being dropped on her head as a baby, when she fell out of a trolley in a store. She fears returning to the home improvement store, just in case she falls again and loses her ability.
With Joan’s amazing memory, it is hard for her to understand that other people forget things and she longs for a way to be remembered. After all, John Lennon is remembered for his songs, so when the chance to enter a song competition comes up, she is keen to enter. However, with money tight, her father has started working outside of his home studio and is not around so much to help her.
Gavin Winters is an actor, a former band mate and college roommate of Joan’s dad. When his lover, Sydney, dies, he has a rather public breakdown. Paige was Sydney’s closest friend, and misses him too, so she immediately invites Gavin to stay with them. Although Gavin has not met Joan before, she recalls every time she met Sydney and is able to recount every meeting she had with him with complete recall. The two come to an agreement – Joan will share her memories and Gavin will help her with her song. However, Joan’s memories cause Gavin to question whether Sydney had been lying to him…
This is a heart warming, touching and charming novel. I will admit that I was drawn to the book as I am a huge Beatles fan, but it is not necessary to share a love of Lennon, or the Beatles, to enjoy this book. This is about family, about friendship and about finding your own way in the world, despite not always feeling that you fit in. Gavin is obviously mourning his lover, but helping Joan helps him re-connect with the world and start to live again. Joan is a fascinating character. She is a child, but her abilities help her sound more adult, which is a good device for an author to use. She works well and is both very adult for her age and also quite vulnerable. A really moving read, which would be ideal for book groups, with lots to discuss.
With Joan’s amazing memory, it is hard for her to understand that other people forget things and she longs for a way to be remembered. After all, John Lennon is remembered for his songs, so when the chance to enter a song competition comes up, she is keen to enter. However, with money tight, her father has started working outside of his home studio and is not around so much to help her.
Gavin Winters is an actor, a former band mate and college roommate of Joan’s dad. When his lover, Sydney, dies, he has a rather public breakdown. Paige was Sydney’s closest friend, and misses him too, so she immediately invites Gavin to stay with them. Although Gavin has not met Joan before, she recalls every time she met Sydney and is able to recount every meeting she had with him with complete recall. The two come to an agreement – Joan will share her memories and Gavin will help her with her song. However, Joan’s memories cause Gavin to question whether Sydney had been lying to him…
This is a heart warming, touching and charming novel. I will admit that I was drawn to the book as I am a huge Beatles fan, but it is not necessary to share a love of Lennon, or the Beatles, to enjoy this book. This is about family, about friendship and about finding your own way in the world, despite not always feeling that you fit in. Gavin is obviously mourning his lover, but helping Joan helps him re-connect with the world and start to live again. Joan is a fascinating character. She is a child, but her abilities help her sound more adult, which is a good device for an author to use. She works well and is both very adult for her age and also quite vulnerable. A really moving read, which would be ideal for book groups, with lots to discuss.
October 15, 2021
4,5 estrelas.
nossa eu gostei muito mesmo, sem dúvidas entra na lista de melhores livros do ano. sinto que é um livro que o john green gostaria de ter escrito (e graças a deus que não foi ele)
nossa eu gostei muito mesmo, sem dúvidas entra na lista de melhores livros do ano. sinto que é um livro que o john green gostaria de ter escrito (e graças a deus que não foi ele)
February 27, 2017
Memories and remembering are at the heart of Val Emmich's first novel The Reminders. The Beatles music provides the thematic structure. The heart of the novel is love.
Nine-year-old Joan Lennon can't forget anything that has ever happened to her. When her grandmother Joan's Alzheimer's disease took away her memory it frightened Joan to be forgotten. Now she wants to create something so no one will forget her again: she wants to write a song.
Joan's father is a struggling songwriter; her mother works to pay the bills. Her parents have decided to close her father's studio and rent it out; her father will work in his dad's construction business. Joan is despondent. She hopes to win a songwriting contest so her dad can keep the studio.
Joan's parents' friend Sydney has died, and his partner Gavin, a television show actor, underwent a very public meltdown. Joan's mother had introduced Syd and Gavin. They invite Gavin to come stay for a while.
Gavin thinks he wants to forget everything about his true love Sydney. When he learns that Joan can recall every time she met Syd, down to the details of his clothes and conversation, they agree to help one another. Joan will tell stories about Syd. Gavin, who had been in her dad's band, will help Joan write a song.
Gavin's grief over Syd's death is complicated by doubts about Syd's activities prior to his death: he made several secret trips, meeting with a woman he never mentioned. Was their life a lie?
The story is told from Joan and Gavin's viewpoints in alternating chapters which offer a nice balance between Gavin's grief and doubt and Joan's determined, naive, hopefulness.
Joan is beautifully drawn, a lovable, adorable, kid. The book is worth reading just to know Joan! The story is about grief and yet what remains after reading is the joy. I am sure this uplifting book will become a best seller, well beloved by book clubs.
Emmich draws from his career as an actor and singer/songwriter, and his life as a dad, to create a charming and warm story of the power of friendship.
I was excited when Emmich agreed to answer some questions for me in February.
Nancy: What motivated you to write The Reminders? What came first--story, character?
Emmich: The character came first. Specifically, the character of Joan. I was a new father and I was frustrated by the lack of progress I'd made in my life and in my career as an artist. Fatherhood felt like an impediment to where I wanted to go. That finally changed when I attempted to write from the point of view of a little girl. If I wasn't the father of a girl (two little girls now), I probably wouldn't have tried something like that. Once I did, though, all sorts of new possibilities opened up for me, both creatively and as a parent. Drawing on my family life for materials finally put me in a place where I could start to accept my new reality and embrace it.
Nancy: Is the creative act for you an endeavor to, as Joan believes, ensure people remember you?
Emmich: No. I create because I have to create. I feel compelled to. It's probably the only time I feel happy. And at times, it doesn't even feel healthy. It can feel like an obsession or addiction. But after I create something, if I think it's any good, I feel this strong desire to share it with people. I created the thing first for myself--to try to process life and understand it better--but I still feel I need some validation from others. I shouldn't need it. But I do. I crave applause and feedback. I wish I didn't.
The whole idea of being remembered, which is a huge part of the book, is related to the above (and certainly in the book, the two are directly linked), but it's also, for me, a whole separate problem. It bothers me that we're so focused on what's happening today and what will happen tomorrow that the past is often too easily forgotten. I'm certainly guilty of forgetting. And I'm not talking about the distant past only, but even the recent past, as in last week, or yesterday. Now, when someone close to us passes away, which is what happens to the character of Gavin in the book, there's a feeling of guilt that comes with forgetting. Forgetting feels like a betrayal. That's how it feels for Joan. To forget her is unfair because she would never forget you. But some amount of forgetting is helpful and even necessary. It allows us to heal. It's a complicated thing, which is why I love the quote by James Baldwin that begins the novel: "it takes strength to remember, it takes another kind of strength to forget, it takes a hero to do both."
Nancy: We know so much these days--the relationship between Gavin and Joan could have been considered suspect. What considerations helped you ensure the purity and healthiness of their relationship?
Emmich: I understand what you mean, but I also hate that I understand what you mean. In other words, it's a shame that's where our minds go. I've always loved stories where two very different sorts of people are placed together. It's a good starting point for conflict and misunderstanding. So I didn't want to avoid that uneasy feeling completely. But in one of my earliest drafts, the character of Gavin was straight and I did find that there were moments between his character and Joan's that felt strained in a way that was distracting from the narrative. Once I decided to make Gavin gay, I found that it relieved a lot of that unintended pressure. Also, the fact that Gavin is pining for his lost love and Joan is helping him reach that lost love helps, I think, maintain that feeling of purity that you mentioned.
Nancy: What were the challenges and rewards of writing a book as compared to writing and performing your songs and acting?
Emmich: There are different challenges with each, too many to list here. But I will say that so far writing a novel has been the most challenging thing I've ever attempted in the arts. In terms of rewards, a song can be written in minutes, recorded in a few hours, and uploaded online where it can be streamed instantly. So, it's a much more immediate sense of satisfaction, both with the creative act and the sharing.
Writing long-form fiction is a slog that can stretch for many years. And it's a lot lonelier. I can write and perform songs with others, but a novel is written alone Writing prose is rewarding in a different sort of way than more communal activities like music and acting. Maybe it requires a little more confidence and faith, I don't know. You'll have to ask me this question again when I'm a little farther along. My book still hasn't been published yet. Most people in m life still haven't read it and I've yet to do my first public reading. So, I haven't had much feedback from readers. All this buildup scares me. Wish me luck.
I recieved a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
Nine-year-old Joan Lennon can't forget anything that has ever happened to her. When her grandmother Joan's Alzheimer's disease took away her memory it frightened Joan to be forgotten. Now she wants to create something so no one will forget her again: she wants to write a song.
Joan's father is a struggling songwriter; her mother works to pay the bills. Her parents have decided to close her father's studio and rent it out; her father will work in his dad's construction business. Joan is despondent. She hopes to win a songwriting contest so her dad can keep the studio.
Joan's parents' friend Sydney has died, and his partner Gavin, a television show actor, underwent a very public meltdown. Joan's mother had introduced Syd and Gavin. They invite Gavin to come stay for a while.
Gavin thinks he wants to forget everything about his true love Sydney. When he learns that Joan can recall every time she met Syd, down to the details of his clothes and conversation, they agree to help one another. Joan will tell stories about Syd. Gavin, who had been in her dad's band, will help Joan write a song.
Gavin's grief over Syd's death is complicated by doubts about Syd's activities prior to his death: he made several secret trips, meeting with a woman he never mentioned. Was their life a lie?
The story is told from Joan and Gavin's viewpoints in alternating chapters which offer a nice balance between Gavin's grief and doubt and Joan's determined, naive, hopefulness.
Joan is beautifully drawn, a lovable, adorable, kid. The book is worth reading just to know Joan! The story is about grief and yet what remains after reading is the joy. I am sure this uplifting book will become a best seller, well beloved by book clubs.
Emmich draws from his career as an actor and singer/songwriter, and his life as a dad, to create a charming and warm story of the power of friendship.
I was excited when Emmich agreed to answer some questions for me in February.
Nancy: What motivated you to write The Reminders? What came first--story, character?
Emmich: The character came first. Specifically, the character of Joan. I was a new father and I was frustrated by the lack of progress I'd made in my life and in my career as an artist. Fatherhood felt like an impediment to where I wanted to go. That finally changed when I attempted to write from the point of view of a little girl. If I wasn't the father of a girl (two little girls now), I probably wouldn't have tried something like that. Once I did, though, all sorts of new possibilities opened up for me, both creatively and as a parent. Drawing on my family life for materials finally put me in a place where I could start to accept my new reality and embrace it.
Nancy: Is the creative act for you an endeavor to, as Joan believes, ensure people remember you?
Emmich: No. I create because I have to create. I feel compelled to. It's probably the only time I feel happy. And at times, it doesn't even feel healthy. It can feel like an obsession or addiction. But after I create something, if I think it's any good, I feel this strong desire to share it with people. I created the thing first for myself--to try to process life and understand it better--but I still feel I need some validation from others. I shouldn't need it. But I do. I crave applause and feedback. I wish I didn't.
The whole idea of being remembered, which is a huge part of the book, is related to the above (and certainly in the book, the two are directly linked), but it's also, for me, a whole separate problem. It bothers me that we're so focused on what's happening today and what will happen tomorrow that the past is often too easily forgotten. I'm certainly guilty of forgetting. And I'm not talking about the distant past only, but even the recent past, as in last week, or yesterday. Now, when someone close to us passes away, which is what happens to the character of Gavin in the book, there's a feeling of guilt that comes with forgetting. Forgetting feels like a betrayal. That's how it feels for Joan. To forget her is unfair because she would never forget you. But some amount of forgetting is helpful and even necessary. It allows us to heal. It's a complicated thing, which is why I love the quote by James Baldwin that begins the novel: "it takes strength to remember, it takes another kind of strength to forget, it takes a hero to do both."
Nancy: We know so much these days--the relationship between Gavin and Joan could have been considered suspect. What considerations helped you ensure the purity and healthiness of their relationship?
Emmich: I understand what you mean, but I also hate that I understand what you mean. In other words, it's a shame that's where our minds go. I've always loved stories where two very different sorts of people are placed together. It's a good starting point for conflict and misunderstanding. So I didn't want to avoid that uneasy feeling completely. But in one of my earliest drafts, the character of Gavin was straight and I did find that there were moments between his character and Joan's that felt strained in a way that was distracting from the narrative. Once I decided to make Gavin gay, I found that it relieved a lot of that unintended pressure. Also, the fact that Gavin is pining for his lost love and Joan is helping him reach that lost love helps, I think, maintain that feeling of purity that you mentioned.
Nancy: What were the challenges and rewards of writing a book as compared to writing and performing your songs and acting?
Emmich: There are different challenges with each, too many to list here. But I will say that so far writing a novel has been the most challenging thing I've ever attempted in the arts. In terms of rewards, a song can be written in minutes, recorded in a few hours, and uploaded online where it can be streamed instantly. So, it's a much more immediate sense of satisfaction, both with the creative act and the sharing.
Writing long-form fiction is a slog that can stretch for many years. And it's a lot lonelier. I can write and perform songs with others, but a novel is written alone Writing prose is rewarding in a different sort of way than more communal activities like music and acting. Maybe it requires a little more confidence and faith, I don't know. You'll have to ask me this question again when I'm a little farther along. My book still hasn't been published yet. Most people in m life still haven't read it and I've yet to do my first public reading. So, I haven't had much feedback from readers. All this buildup scares me. Wish me luck.
I recieved a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
May 26, 2017
Release Date: 05.30.17
Val Emmich's debut novel, The Reminders, is a Beatles lover's fantasy. This one is filled to the brim with song references and nods to John Lennon's New York City life (where, incidentally, a large chunk of this story takes place), I was almost too distracted by the shout outs to focus on the characters and their goings-on.
Told in alternating first-person POVs, The Reminders is the story of two people: Joan, a young girl with the rare ability of being able to recall in vivid detail every memory of her life; and Gavin, a family friend currently mourning the loss of his husband, Sydney. Gavin, having grown up with Joan's parents, moves in with the family and soon he and Joan become close. She helps him by sharing with him every memory she has of Sydney (who is another friend of the family); he helps her by co-writing a song with Joan for an upcoming contest. Joan is a lover of music and aspires to be famous.
Honestly, I wanted to like this novel . . . but just couldn't. The emotions are contrived; there is no "there" there. Toward the beginning of the novel, Joan decides she wants to write a crying song for the contest, because crying songs get remembered most. I feel Emmich tried writing a crying novel but forgot to give these characters enough life for the reader to care about them. A major part of the novel is Gavin's grieving over his late husband, but Sydney is nothing more than a name and a few memories. Their relationship is never shown in the light; Emmich tells the reader he or she should care, but doesn't show much of why that is.
Really, that's this novel's largest fault: the novelist falls prey to one of the oldest predators in fiction-writing — telling, not showing. I never got a grasp on these characters; they feel like ciphers and nothing more. Joan's extraordinary memory gift is almost never utilized, except to rattle off dates at random or tell Gavin about Sydney's visits through the years. The rest of the time, Joan is too preoccupied with writing her song and Gavin spends his days wallowing in grief and Joan's parents are basically big nothings.
I wanted to love this novel, and for a moment I thought I did . . . but I realized I was in love with the Beatles references and not much else. This could have been a big literary experience; instead, it is a flimsy paint-by-the-numbers bore set against the smog and rush of the Big Apple.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC, which was given in exchange for an honest review.
Val Emmich's debut novel, The Reminders, is a Beatles lover's fantasy. This one is filled to the brim with song references and nods to John Lennon's New York City life (where, incidentally, a large chunk of this story takes place), I was almost too distracted by the shout outs to focus on the characters and their goings-on.
Told in alternating first-person POVs, The Reminders is the story of two people: Joan, a young girl with the rare ability of being able to recall in vivid detail every memory of her life; and Gavin, a family friend currently mourning the loss of his husband, Sydney. Gavin, having grown up with Joan's parents, moves in with the family and soon he and Joan become close. She helps him by sharing with him every memory she has of Sydney (who is another friend of the family); he helps her by co-writing a song with Joan for an upcoming contest. Joan is a lover of music and aspires to be famous.
Honestly, I wanted to like this novel . . . but just couldn't. The emotions are contrived; there is no "there" there. Toward the beginning of the novel, Joan decides she wants to write a crying song for the contest, because crying songs get remembered most. I feel Emmich tried writing a crying novel but forgot to give these characters enough life for the reader to care about them. A major part of the novel is Gavin's grieving over his late husband, but Sydney is nothing more than a name and a few memories. Their relationship is never shown in the light; Emmich tells the reader he or she should care, but doesn't show much of why that is.
Really, that's this novel's largest fault: the novelist falls prey to one of the oldest predators in fiction-writing — telling, not showing. I never got a grasp on these characters; they feel like ciphers and nothing more. Joan's extraordinary memory gift is almost never utilized, except to rattle off dates at random or tell Gavin about Sydney's visits through the years. The rest of the time, Joan is too preoccupied with writing her song and Gavin spends his days wallowing in grief and Joan's parents are basically big nothings.
I wanted to love this novel, and for a moment I thought I did . . . but I realized I was in love with the Beatles references and not much else. This could have been a big literary experience; instead, it is a flimsy paint-by-the-numbers bore set against the smog and rush of the Big Apple.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC, which was given in exchange for an honest review.
September 15, 2017
Imagine having a child, who at ten years old, can remember every day of her life in detail? That is the case for Ollie and Paige Sully. As a result they sometimes have difficulty understanding their daughter. Joan Lennon Sully has something special in common with her father though. It is a love of music and in particular John Lennon, after whom she is named, and the Beatles. Ollie has a recording studio in the bottom of his house and Joan loves nothing better than to share that space and music with him. Joan’s abilities set her apart from everyone else but she doesn’t want to be the girl who remembers everything but the girl no-one ever forgets. So when she learns about a local song writing contest, she decides to enter and create a song that will ensure people remember her.
To their home comes Gavin, a friend of the family and an actor. He is mourning the death of his life partner Sydney. Joan hopes to enlist his help to write her song, as well as that of her father. The story alternates between Joan and Gavin. Joan is easily the most interesting character in this novel.
Not being an avid Beatles fan, some of the references to Beatles songs and events skipped past me. If you are into the Beatles you will probably get more enjoyment from all the references. I found this an easy read and quite an enjoyable story, though I did feel Sydney was not well drawn. Considering so many characters in the story said how much they loved him, I thought he remained a shadowy figure. I liked the contrast between Joan who remembered everything and the spectre of Alzheimer’s, which her grandmother suffered from before her death. The reader may not always understand Joan’s decisions. She is ten years old after all. But Joan is without doubt the star of this story.
To their home comes Gavin, a friend of the family and an actor. He is mourning the death of his life partner Sydney. Joan hopes to enlist his help to write her song, as well as that of her father. The story alternates between Joan and Gavin. Joan is easily the most interesting character in this novel.
Not being an avid Beatles fan, some of the references to Beatles songs and events skipped past me. If you are into the Beatles you will probably get more enjoyment from all the references. I found this an easy read and quite an enjoyable story, though I did feel Sydney was not well drawn. Considering so many characters in the story said how much they loved him, I thought he remained a shadowy figure. I liked the contrast between Joan who remembered everything and the spectre of Alzheimer’s, which her grandmother suffered from before her death. The reader may not always understand Joan’s decisions. She is ten years old after all. But Joan is without doubt the star of this story.
April 20, 2020
Uma leitura bem leve e gostosa.
Os capítulos são intercalados entre o ponto de vista de Joan Lennon, uma garota de 10 anos que nunca esquece (ela tem uma condição rara) e que morre de medo de ser esquecida e de Gavin, um ator conhecido que acabou de perder o seu marido de uma forma inesperada e tudo o que ela quer (ou pelo menos acha que quer) é esquecer o seu passado.
Gostei muito da forma com que os personagens interagiram e ajudaram um ao outro.
Foi uma leitura que me despertou bons sentimentos e me deixou com saudade dos personagens.
Os capítulos são intercalados entre o ponto de vista de Joan Lennon, uma garota de 10 anos que nunca esquece (ela tem uma condição rara) e que morre de medo de ser esquecida e de Gavin, um ator conhecido que acabou de perder o seu marido de uma forma inesperada e tudo o que ela quer (ou pelo menos acha que quer) é esquecer o seu passado.
Gostei muito da forma com que os personagens interagiram e ajudaram um ao outro.
Foi uma leitura que me despertou bons sentimentos e me deixou com saudade dos personagens.
January 11, 2017
Review forthcoming.
Read
May 31, 2017When Gavin’s partner Sydney dies, he literally sets fire to their life together and flees Los Angeles for New Jersey, hoping to be reunited with old friends. There he meets Joan, a ten-year-old girl who has the rare ability to remember everything. Gavin agrees to help Joan win a songwriting contest in exchange for telling him her memories about Sydney. Told from alternating narrators, this is a sad, sweet story of the pain and joy of the past, the curse of remembering everything, and the importance of new friendships.
Backlist bump: Piece of Mind by Michelle Adelman
Tune in to our weekly podcast dedicated to all things new books, All The Books: http://bookriot.com/listen/shows/allt...
Backlist bump: Piece of Mind by Michelle Adelman
Tune in to our weekly podcast dedicated to all things new books, All The Books: http://bookriot.com/listen/shows/allt...
January 16, 2019
Vergeet Me Niet van Val Emmich is een schattig en hartverwarmend boek over verdrietige dingen. De tienjarige Joan heeft Hyperthymesia, waardoor ze zich alles uit haar leven precies kan herinneren. Van haar oma (Joan) en vader (Ollie) heeft ze een passie voor muziek meegekregen. Vandaar dat haar volledige naam Joan Lennon Sully is. Voor Joan Lennon is het vervelend dat ze steeds te maken krijgt met mensen wiens geheugen niet zo superieur is als haar eigen geheugen. Dit vindt ze moeilijk en is daardoor bang om vergeten te worden.
Nu ze zomervakantie heeft besluit ze dat het tijd is om daar wat aan te doen. In de studio van haar vader gaat ze een onvergetelijk liedje opnemen. Op die manier moeten mensen haar wel onthouden. Al is het natuurlijk leuker om dat met iemand samen te doen. Dan komt Gavin, een vriend van haar ouders bij hun logeren. Sydney, Gavin’s grote liefde is onlangs overleden en nu moet Gavin zijn leven weer op de rails zien te krijgen. Hij kan niet besluiten of hij Sydney wil herinneren of juist wil vergeten.
Samen vormen Gavin en Joan een pact. Gavin gaat Joan helpen bij het schrijven van haar liedje en Joan verteld Gavin haar herinneringen aan Sydney. Hierdoor krijgt hun zomer een onverwachte wending. Zonder dat ze het zelf doorhebben helpen ze elkaar met het accepteren van hun situatie.
Ik las dit boek tijdens de laatste dagen dat mijn eigen oma nog in leven was. Een verdrietige periode dus, maar dit boek hielp mij om dingen vanuit een ander perspectief te zien. Joan’s onuitputtelijke optimisme is een rode draad door het boek. Of misschien het leuke rode touwtje om de vinger op de cover? Joan zullen we in ieder geval niet snel vergeten.
Tijdens het lezen van Vergeet Me Niet kon ik me heerlijk even afsluiten van de buitenwereld en volledig opgaan in de avonturen van Joan en Gavin. Muziek heeft een belangrijke rol in dit boek, maar ook kunst komt aan bod. Leuk voor mensen die graag over cultuur lezen dus! Het is hard nadenken om iets te verzinnen wat ik minder goed vond aan dit boek, maar als ik iets zou noemen dan is het waarschijnlijk het einde. Het einde vond ik vrij vluchtig en ik moest hier opeens moeite doen om te zorgen dat ik alles wel in me opnam. Verder was het echt een heerlijk onschuldig en liefelijk boek.
Dit boek krijgt van mij 4 van de 5 sterren. Het is leuk voor jong en oud dus ik kan het iedereen van harte aanbevelen. Hou je van muziek? En misschien wel van John Lennon in het bijzonder? Dan moet je dit al helemaal gelezen hebben.
Ik heb dit boek gekregen van uitgeverij Ambo|Anthos in ruil voor een eerlijke review.
Nu ze zomervakantie heeft besluit ze dat het tijd is om daar wat aan te doen. In de studio van haar vader gaat ze een onvergetelijk liedje opnemen. Op die manier moeten mensen haar wel onthouden. Al is het natuurlijk leuker om dat met iemand samen te doen. Dan komt Gavin, een vriend van haar ouders bij hun logeren. Sydney, Gavin’s grote liefde is onlangs overleden en nu moet Gavin zijn leven weer op de rails zien te krijgen. Hij kan niet besluiten of hij Sydney wil herinneren of juist wil vergeten.
Samen vormen Gavin en Joan een pact. Gavin gaat Joan helpen bij het schrijven van haar liedje en Joan verteld Gavin haar herinneringen aan Sydney. Hierdoor krijgt hun zomer een onverwachte wending. Zonder dat ze het zelf doorhebben helpen ze elkaar met het accepteren van hun situatie.
Ik las dit boek tijdens de laatste dagen dat mijn eigen oma nog in leven was. Een verdrietige periode dus, maar dit boek hielp mij om dingen vanuit een ander perspectief te zien. Joan’s onuitputtelijke optimisme is een rode draad door het boek. Of misschien het leuke rode touwtje om de vinger op de cover? Joan zullen we in ieder geval niet snel vergeten.
Tijdens het lezen van Vergeet Me Niet kon ik me heerlijk even afsluiten van de buitenwereld en volledig opgaan in de avonturen van Joan en Gavin. Muziek heeft een belangrijke rol in dit boek, maar ook kunst komt aan bod. Leuk voor mensen die graag over cultuur lezen dus! Het is hard nadenken om iets te verzinnen wat ik minder goed vond aan dit boek, maar als ik iets zou noemen dan is het waarschijnlijk het einde. Het einde vond ik vrij vluchtig en ik moest hier opeens moeite doen om te zorgen dat ik alles wel in me opnam. Verder was het echt een heerlijk onschuldig en liefelijk boek.
Dit boek krijgt van mij 4 van de 5 sterren. Het is leuk voor jong en oud dus ik kan het iedereen van harte aanbevelen. Hou je van muziek? En misschien wel van John Lennon in het bijzonder? Dan moet je dit al helemaal gelezen hebben.
Ik heb dit boek gekregen van uitgeverij Ambo|Anthos in ruil voor een eerlijke review.
December 12, 2016
You can find my reviews here: https://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com/
“There’s this idea of the phantom limb. A man who’s lost his arm still feels the arm and behaves as if the arm is intact. What I have, then, is a phantom love.”
Grief is a beast, an ugly snarling impulsive monster. When Gavin loses his beloved partner in a terrible tragedy he burns his home down. His ‘reminders’ hurt so bad, his love really is a phantom. Maybe it wouldn’t have been so shocking, how he acted out in grief if it wasn’t caught on video- not a good thing for an actor. Maybe LA isn’t the right place for him right now, maybe the only way out of this painful loss is to immerse himself in the true memories. This is where Joan Sully comes in, the daughter of his old friend, he just doesn’t know it yet.
Our memories are flawed, they never playback in our heads quite right. We exaggerate, omit, edit every second whether we mean to or not. For Joan, she couldn’t forget nor edit her memories if she wished to. Joan’s ability is to remember everything with perfect clarity, it has it’s ups and downs. A gift, a curse- depends on who you ask. To remember life in such exact measurement that you correct other’s stories (memories) can be annoying and beautiful. She holds the treasure of Sydney, remembering him in such a way no one else can that nearly brings him alive for heartbroken Gavin. For these details, Gavin is going to help Joan win her local songwriting contest. Joan’s reason for wanting to win is beyond beautiful, songwriter’s are not forgotten.
In a family where a child cannot forget, how devastating to have a loved one, a grandmother that cannot remember. People remember music, songs! When her grandmother started disappearing through Alzheimer’s it set off a fear that one day she too can be forgotten by anyone. She knows others remember wrong, and through her grandmother witnessed the devastation of true ‘forgetting’, even forgetting oneself. Music will be her saving grace, no one forgets famous singers! Even in the depths of disease, people can hum to songs! Songs are catchy, moving, they make us feel things. We don’t forget songs.
The Reminders is beautiful for anyone, and sometimes you just need a heartfelt story. Our loved ones live on in the hearts of those left behind but so much is lost, we don’t all have Joan’s ability. We don’t remember every detail of our time spent with them, just a kaleidoscope of moments that branded themselves into our minds. We can’t even remember the scenery as perfectly as we wish. It’s a story about moving on as well as remembering. It’s never enough, there is never closure, not really. When we slowly come too, lifted out of the fog of mourning, we understand things better and sometimes it takes another to help us see clearly all the things we were oblivious to.
A beautiful story for the summer. Add this to your list of books to read in 2017.
Public Release Date: May 30, 2017
Little, Brown and Company
“There’s this idea of the phantom limb. A man who’s lost his arm still feels the arm and behaves as if the arm is intact. What I have, then, is a phantom love.”
Grief is a beast, an ugly snarling impulsive monster. When Gavin loses his beloved partner in a terrible tragedy he burns his home down. His ‘reminders’ hurt so bad, his love really is a phantom. Maybe it wouldn’t have been so shocking, how he acted out in grief if it wasn’t caught on video- not a good thing for an actor. Maybe LA isn’t the right place for him right now, maybe the only way out of this painful loss is to immerse himself in the true memories. This is where Joan Sully comes in, the daughter of his old friend, he just doesn’t know it yet.
Our memories are flawed, they never playback in our heads quite right. We exaggerate, omit, edit every second whether we mean to or not. For Joan, she couldn’t forget nor edit her memories if she wished to. Joan’s ability is to remember everything with perfect clarity, it has it’s ups and downs. A gift, a curse- depends on who you ask. To remember life in such exact measurement that you correct other’s stories (memories) can be annoying and beautiful. She holds the treasure of Sydney, remembering him in such a way no one else can that nearly brings him alive for heartbroken Gavin. For these details, Gavin is going to help Joan win her local songwriting contest. Joan’s reason for wanting to win is beyond beautiful, songwriter’s are not forgotten.
In a family where a child cannot forget, how devastating to have a loved one, a grandmother that cannot remember. People remember music, songs! When her grandmother started disappearing through Alzheimer’s it set off a fear that one day she too can be forgotten by anyone. She knows others remember wrong, and through her grandmother witnessed the devastation of true ‘forgetting’, even forgetting oneself. Music will be her saving grace, no one forgets famous singers! Even in the depths of disease, people can hum to songs! Songs are catchy, moving, they make us feel things. We don’t forget songs.
The Reminders is beautiful for anyone, and sometimes you just need a heartfelt story. Our loved ones live on in the hearts of those left behind but so much is lost, we don’t all have Joan’s ability. We don’t remember every detail of our time spent with them, just a kaleidoscope of moments that branded themselves into our minds. We can’t even remember the scenery as perfectly as we wish. It’s a story about moving on as well as remembering. It’s never enough, there is never closure, not really. When we slowly come too, lifted out of the fog of mourning, we understand things better and sometimes it takes another to help us see clearly all the things we were oblivious to.
A beautiful story for the summer. Add this to your list of books to read in 2017.
Public Release Date: May 30, 2017
Little, Brown and Company
November 11, 2017
The Reminders is the first novel by American actor and author, Val Emmich. At ten years old, Joan Lennon Sully is the youngest known person to have Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM). If it happened to her after about age five, she’ll remember it in intricate detail, including the day and date. So it can be annoying when others forget. And they do. Most heartbreaking was when her Grandma Joan (after whom she was named) forgot who Joan was. If Grandma Joan could forget, who’s to say her mom or dad couldn’t? Joan needs to find a way to stop that from happening.
Popular cable actor Gavin Winter is broken: the love of his life has died, suddenly, unexpectedly, and he doesn’t think he can stand to see anything or be anywhere that reminds him of Sydney. In spectacularly drunken fashion, he accidentally sets fire to his house. Of course, the media jump on this: he needs to get away. His good friends Paige and Ollie invite him to stay in their guest room.
When Gavin meets Joan, he discovers that she has crystal clear memories of the times Sydney visited, memories he doesn’t have, memories he’s not entirely sure he wants. Especially when he realises that Sydney has been lying to him.
What a wonderful story Emmich gives his readers! His alternating narratives are easily distinguished, because he really nails the voice of a ten-year-old girl, capturing it perfectly. These differing perspectives offer a comprehensive picture of his marvellous and very appealing characters, their thoughts and their actions. The plot is original: while it soon becomes obvious that Gavin and Joan have something to offer each other, there are a few surprises to keep it interesting.
As well as Joan’s charming illustrations and her delightful ten-year-old logic, there’s a bit of a mystery and plenty of humour, but also heartache and grief. Of course, memory, reminders and forgetting feature heavily, but Emmich also compares patience with procrastination and impulsiveness with decisiveness. This is a remarkable debut novel and it will be interesting to see what this talented man does next.
Popular cable actor Gavin Winter is broken: the love of his life has died, suddenly, unexpectedly, and he doesn’t think he can stand to see anything or be anywhere that reminds him of Sydney. In spectacularly drunken fashion, he accidentally sets fire to his house. Of course, the media jump on this: he needs to get away. His good friends Paige and Ollie invite him to stay in their guest room.
When Gavin meets Joan, he discovers that she has crystal clear memories of the times Sydney visited, memories he doesn’t have, memories he’s not entirely sure he wants. Especially when he realises that Sydney has been lying to him.
What a wonderful story Emmich gives his readers! His alternating narratives are easily distinguished, because he really nails the voice of a ten-year-old girl, capturing it perfectly. These differing perspectives offer a comprehensive picture of his marvellous and very appealing characters, their thoughts and their actions. The plot is original: while it soon becomes obvious that Gavin and Joan have something to offer each other, there are a few surprises to keep it interesting.
As well as Joan’s charming illustrations and her delightful ten-year-old logic, there’s a bit of a mystery and plenty of humour, but also heartache and grief. Of course, memory, reminders and forgetting feature heavily, but Emmich also compares patience with procrastination and impulsiveness with decisiveness. This is a remarkable debut novel and it will be interesting to see what this talented man does next.
May 16, 2017
Während ich „Die Unvergesslichen“ las, habe ich mich ein wenig in meinen eigenen Erinnerungen verloren. Dieser Roman macht das mit einem. Er schickt einen auf die Reise in die Vergangenheit, lässt einen das eigene Gedächtnis durchforsten und einen zum Beispiel darüber nachdenken, welchen Menschen man als zweites geküsst hat. Denn an den ersten Kuss erinnert man sich, klar, doch an den danach? Das Vergessen und Erinnern nimmt einen großen Stellenwert in der Geschichte von der jungen Joan und dem Songwriter Gavin ein.
Gavin, der anfangs nicht von Erinnerungen an seinen verstorbenen Freund Sydney gequält werden möchte, der später aber jeder Erinnerung von Joan an seinen Freund lauscht. Ihm gegenüber Joan mit dem Hyperthymestisches Syndrom, das sie nicht vergessen lässt, keinen einzigen Tag in ihrem Leben, und deren größte Angst die ist, vergessen zu werden. Beide finden über die Musik zueinander, denn Joan setzt all ihre Hoffnung darauf, diesen einen Song zu schreiben, der sie unvergessen machen soll.
„Gewiss gibt es noch unzählige Erinnerungen, die ich aber leider vergessen habe. Ich habe einfach nicht genug aufgepasst, als sie entstanden. Ich war zu beschäftigt damit, zu leben, die gemeinsame Zeit zu genießen. Mir war kein einziges Mal in den Sinn gekommen, sie könnte plötzlich enden.“ (Seite 145/146)
Die Charaktere sind extrem gut angelegt und schlichen sich schnell in mein Herz: Der etwas orientierungslose Songwriter und Schauspieler Gavin, der Probleme lieber aussitzt anstatt sie anzupacken, und Joan, der aktive Konterpart, der Gavin aus seiner Lethargie und Trauer zerrt, und ihn dazu bringt, sich mit Sydney und seinem Leben auseinanderzusetzen. Gleichzeitig schenkt Gavin der kleinen Joan Mut und zeigt ihr, welche Wege ihr als angehende Künstlerin offen stehen. Er nimmt sie ernst und betrachtet das Hyperthymestische Syndrom nicht als lästiges Übel. Die beiden zusammen geben dem Roman eine charmante Dynamik.
„Um den Wettbewerb zu gewinnen, brauche ich ein Lied, das die Leute entweder zum Tanzen animiert oder zum Weinen bringt. Das sind die beiden stärksten Impulse, die die Musik in uns wecken kann. Beim Tanzen vergessen die Menschen, beim Weinen erinnern sie sich.“ (Seite 25)
„Die Unvergesslichen“ ist eine durch und durch emotionale Geschichte, die ohne spannungsgeladene Höhen und Tiefen auskommt. Es geht nicht in erster Linie darum, einen Musikwettbewerb zu gewinnen, sondern es geht um die Verbindung der einzelnen Charaktere untereinander und um ihre jeweiligen Lebenssituationen und Lebensträume. Es geht um die Beziehung zwischen den Eltern und ihrer Tochter Joan, die Beziehung der Eltern untereinander, die Freundschaft zwischen Gavin und Joan. Es geht um das Erwachsenwerden im weitesten Sinne – denn manchmal dauert dieser Prozess, bis man 30 oder 40 ist. Oder ist es gar ein schleichender Prozess, der niemals so richtig endet?
Mir gefiel es sehr, dass die Musik als treibender Faktor immer präsent war. Hier hat Val Emmich, selbst Singer/Songwriter seine eigenen Erfahrungen geschickt in die Geschichte eingeflochten, es wirkt zutiefst authentisch. Einziger kleiner Kritikpunkt ist ein Dreh am Ende, der zwar den Kreis schließt, meinem Empfinden nach aber etwas zu sehr über das Ziel hinausschießt.
Fazit
„Die Unvergesslichen“ von Val Emmich ist ein sensibles Porträt eines ungewöhnlichen jungen Mädchens und einem von Verlust gezeichneten Mann, die über die Musik zueinander finden und eine neue Sicht auf das Leben gewinnen. Ich war begeistert von der Sprache, den Charakteren und der gesamten Umsetzung. Ein Roman, der sich sanft und ohne Hast den großen und wichtigen Fragen des Lebens zuwendet und gleichzeitig zum Nachdenken und zum Erinnern einlädt.
Gavin, der anfangs nicht von Erinnerungen an seinen verstorbenen Freund Sydney gequält werden möchte, der später aber jeder Erinnerung von Joan an seinen Freund lauscht. Ihm gegenüber Joan mit dem Hyperthymestisches Syndrom, das sie nicht vergessen lässt, keinen einzigen Tag in ihrem Leben, und deren größte Angst die ist, vergessen zu werden. Beide finden über die Musik zueinander, denn Joan setzt all ihre Hoffnung darauf, diesen einen Song zu schreiben, der sie unvergessen machen soll.
„Gewiss gibt es noch unzählige Erinnerungen, die ich aber leider vergessen habe. Ich habe einfach nicht genug aufgepasst, als sie entstanden. Ich war zu beschäftigt damit, zu leben, die gemeinsame Zeit zu genießen. Mir war kein einziges Mal in den Sinn gekommen, sie könnte plötzlich enden.“ (Seite 145/146)
Die Charaktere sind extrem gut angelegt und schlichen sich schnell in mein Herz: Der etwas orientierungslose Songwriter und Schauspieler Gavin, der Probleme lieber aussitzt anstatt sie anzupacken, und Joan, der aktive Konterpart, der Gavin aus seiner Lethargie und Trauer zerrt, und ihn dazu bringt, sich mit Sydney und seinem Leben auseinanderzusetzen. Gleichzeitig schenkt Gavin der kleinen Joan Mut und zeigt ihr, welche Wege ihr als angehende Künstlerin offen stehen. Er nimmt sie ernst und betrachtet das Hyperthymestische Syndrom nicht als lästiges Übel. Die beiden zusammen geben dem Roman eine charmante Dynamik.
„Um den Wettbewerb zu gewinnen, brauche ich ein Lied, das die Leute entweder zum Tanzen animiert oder zum Weinen bringt. Das sind die beiden stärksten Impulse, die die Musik in uns wecken kann. Beim Tanzen vergessen die Menschen, beim Weinen erinnern sie sich.“ (Seite 25)
„Die Unvergesslichen“ ist eine durch und durch emotionale Geschichte, die ohne spannungsgeladene Höhen und Tiefen auskommt. Es geht nicht in erster Linie darum, einen Musikwettbewerb zu gewinnen, sondern es geht um die Verbindung der einzelnen Charaktere untereinander und um ihre jeweiligen Lebenssituationen und Lebensträume. Es geht um die Beziehung zwischen den Eltern und ihrer Tochter Joan, die Beziehung der Eltern untereinander, die Freundschaft zwischen Gavin und Joan. Es geht um das Erwachsenwerden im weitesten Sinne – denn manchmal dauert dieser Prozess, bis man 30 oder 40 ist. Oder ist es gar ein schleichender Prozess, der niemals so richtig endet?
Mir gefiel es sehr, dass die Musik als treibender Faktor immer präsent war. Hier hat Val Emmich, selbst Singer/Songwriter seine eigenen Erfahrungen geschickt in die Geschichte eingeflochten, es wirkt zutiefst authentisch. Einziger kleiner Kritikpunkt ist ein Dreh am Ende, der zwar den Kreis schließt, meinem Empfinden nach aber etwas zu sehr über das Ziel hinausschießt.
Fazit
„Die Unvergesslichen“ von Val Emmich ist ein sensibles Porträt eines ungewöhnlichen jungen Mädchens und einem von Verlust gezeichneten Mann, die über die Musik zueinander finden und eine neue Sicht auf das Leben gewinnen. Ich war begeistert von der Sprache, den Charakteren und der gesamten Umsetzung. Ein Roman, der sich sanft und ohne Hast den großen und wichtigen Fragen des Lebens zuwendet und gleichzeitig zum Nachdenken und zum Erinnern einlädt.
May 26, 2017
I’m not a big reader for enjoyment. I got an advanced copy of this book and it sat on my nightstand for a couple weeks. In some way I started to view it as a TODO item I needed to check off a list. I (finally) picked it up and couldn’t put it down. I typically wake up to run, this book had me waking up to read.
The storytelling between two very different characters made it easy to read and provided an exciting balance of perspective. The Beatles were brilliantly interlaced into the narrative so anyone who appreciates music (does anyone not appreciate music?) will enjoy and relate.
I loved the general premise of someone wanting to forget and meeting someone with an unimaginable ability to remember. Their relationship was able to weave in aspects that made me anxious, sad, happy…it made me feel. The characters seemed so real that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about them after finishing the book.
I loved it!
The storytelling between two very different characters made it easy to read and provided an exciting balance of perspective. The Beatles were brilliantly interlaced into the narrative so anyone who appreciates music (does anyone not appreciate music?) will enjoy and relate.
I loved the general premise of someone wanting to forget and meeting someone with an unimaginable ability to remember. Their relationship was able to weave in aspects that made me anxious, sad, happy…it made me feel. The characters seemed so real that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about them after finishing the book.
I loved it!
April 7, 2017
FAV QUOTES:
I’m waiting with my guitar on the hard steps and there’s an ant by my sneaker. She’s just a tiny thing, but I’d rather be that, a tiny thing that no one notices, than a real girl who everyone sees but isn’t worth remembering.
For most people, memories are like fairy tales, which means they’re simpler and funnier and happier and more exciting than how life really is. I don’t understand how people can pretend something happened differently than it actually did, but Dad says they don’t even realize they’re pretending.
People have all kinds of reasons for why they don’t remember. They blame it on their batteries dying, or their ears not hearing right, or just being too busy, or too old, or too tired. But really it’s because they don’t have enough room inside their boxes. When I was turning five, Mom bought me a box for all my art. She was fed up with me leaving my drawings and projects around the house. She told me to choose which pieces were most important because there wasn’t enough room in the box to keep everything. That’s how it is with people’s brains. There’s only enough room for the most important memories and the rest gets thrown away. When I’m the thing that gets thrown away, because I’m not important enough, it’s hard not to get the blues like John Lennon on The White Album when he sings, I’m lonely and I wanna die.
I just want to feel better. Maybe I’d be okay if it were just small forgetting, like when people miss my half-birthday or they don’t remember to put suntan lotion on the tops of my ears or they forget that my least favorite saying is Forget about it. But it hurts too bad when the thing people keep forgetting is me.
There’s this idea of the phantom limb. A man who’s lost his arm still feels the arm and behaves as if the arm is intact. What I have, then, is a phantom love.
And now I’m doing it again, allowing myself to be sucked into the past. For what purpose? It’s true there’s a brief thrill that comes with digging up what’s been lost, like the strange joy one feels when poking a tender wound. But when the thrill passes, the wound still remains.
The doctor I saw in Arizona, Dr. M, says I’m the only kid he’s ever heard of who has highly superior autobiographical memory, or HSAM. The rest are grown-ups, about thirty of them, and Dr. M thinks that makes me pretty special. Most of the time I don’t feel special, just lonely. I’d rather everyone in the world have HSAM, especially my parents and my friends, so we could all see the same memories.
I hate wearing the same thing twice because it reminds me of another day when I wore the same thing and then I get stuck thinking about that day instead of living the day I’m in.
If Mom says, “Shut the light when you leave the room,” I’ll remember she said it, but sometimes not at the exact time I’m leaving the room, so I’ll “forget” to shut the light. But that kind of small forgetting doesn’t bother me. It’s the other kind, the big kind, when people forget what happened in their lives, that gives me the blues.
But this place will never look empty to me, it’ll always be full, because everywhere I turn, all around me, I see what no one else sees: the memories.
“Do you like fishing?” I ask.
“No, because it’s mean. Grandpa says fish don’t feel pain like we do because they have small brains, but what if one of them has a brain that’s different from all the other fish? How do you know you’re not catching the one fish that feels a lot of pain?”
Because everyone forgets everything. They forget the name of the second person they ever kissed and they forget about what happened to those twins who were taken apart as babies and they even forget their own grandchildren. And it’s not fair because I would never do that.
But then I realized, it’s not people’s fault that they have crappy brains. That’s what reminders are for. Mom never forgets to pay the bills because she has a reminder on her calendar. And Dad remembers to put new batteries in our smoke alarm only because it starts beeping. And no one forgets Martin Luther King because he has his own holiday every year. It works the same way with songs. Everyone remembers John Lennon, even Grandma, because his songs are reminders. My song is going to be a reminder to everyone that they should keep me in their brainboxes, and I have less than two weeks to finish it.
If a song hits you deep enough, you never get it out of your system.
Sydney had told me all about Joan, how uncanny it was that she could store so many details in her head, the monumental and inconsequential taking up equal space.
She is something close to miraculous.
He believed you could visualize almost any dream into existence.
Whenever I meet ex-artists, they always look half alive.
The more you experience, the more you have to write about.
“It’s a good kind of nervous.” “I don’t think I’ve ever had the good kind of nervous.”
You forgot the earliest lesson of love: a little discomfort is a small price to pay.
Because it’s too painful to remember. Because it's even more painful to forget.
It’s not just about waiting around for an idea to come, it’s also about knowing when the idea has finally arrived.
He slides his hand through his hair either because he has great style or because he has a headache, I’m not sure which.
I love thinking about my grandmother but I also hate it, because what happened at the end of her life makes all the other memories I have of her feel less special. It’s like we were playing this great concert together and when we got to our last song of the night, she just left the stage and now I have to face the crowd by myself and sometimes I just don’t feel strong enough to do it alone.
Then again, considering the satisfaction on her face, maybe that’s her point. Being a grown-up isn’t a matter of age or responsibility. For Paige, it’s finally having the power to do whatever the hell she wants.
She’s been living on her own for decades and doing just fine. But that doesn’t mean she never gets lonely.
I know I’ll always have this night saved in my memory but memories are never as good as the real moment, just like a cover version of a song is hardly ever as good as the original.
I don’t know if I can wait that long because waiting is the worst thing ever invented.
People think I shouldn’t miss things because I always have the memories of them saved in my brainbox, but the memories only make me miss the things more.
And now Mom is making me feel even worse because she just found a dress that is so great it would normally make me want to jump into the air but instead I just smile like a clown. Clowns have big smiles painted on their faces but they still don’t look happy.
It was then that you discovered his special gift; he had a skill so rare that when people experienced it, they found themselves opening up to him fully. It was simple: he listened.
I know how powerful it can be when someone puts his faith in you.
No one’s ever done that before, spent all that time thinking about just me and who I am and what I’m made of.
But you know what? I don’t think the two things are separate, you and your art. They’re part of the same thing. And the whole point with art is that we try to make people feel something, right?
That’s love, isn’t it? Trusting. Believing.
I’m the adult here, theoretically, but I’m not sure how to handle this situation... All I know is that this little girl nearly made me lose my shit today. And frankly, I have very little shit left to lose.
You’ve got plenty of good reasons not to do it. All I’m saying is, if it’s something you really want, trust me, you’ll figure it out.
I wonder if maybe that’s why people say no all the time, because there are so many things to be scared of.
I fall onto my bed and pull the blanket over my legs. Mom hugs me through the blanket and tells me she loves me and strokes my hair. But none of it makes me feel any better because I’ve got a giant bruise on the inside of my body.
And if we’d never found that perfect one, so be it. We would have been able to sleep knowing we tried. We were true of heart. We were honest. We were open. We believed. What a rare thing, to believe. We were lucky. We could’ve been.
I’m having a hard time thinking about what’s here because I’m mostly thinking about what’s not here. I wish there was a way to know when you were seeing someone for the last time so you could pay extra-close attention to that person when it was happening.
So I write it all out and now I’m clicking the button that makes it go through the wires and across the universe and into his brain so that his brain can be full of all the things my brain is full of. This way he’ll know that it’s okay to go back to the past now because there are a few things back there that are worth seeing a second time.
Because you taught me about the good kind of nervous (Tuesday, July 16) and I finally felt it (Tuesday, July 30).
You just have to keep making art that feels good to you. You can’t control what happens after that. It seems like no one’s paying attention, but then, when you least expect it, someone hears it. Just keep putting yourself out there. It’s the hardest thing. But you never know. That’s it. You just never know.
Wanting something so badly is tiring.
We just need one song. That’s all it takes. One song that the whole world never forgets.
I’m waiting with my guitar on the hard steps and there’s an ant by my sneaker. She’s just a tiny thing, but I’d rather be that, a tiny thing that no one notices, than a real girl who everyone sees but isn’t worth remembering.
For most people, memories are like fairy tales, which means they’re simpler and funnier and happier and more exciting than how life really is. I don’t understand how people can pretend something happened differently than it actually did, but Dad says they don’t even realize they’re pretending.
People have all kinds of reasons for why they don’t remember. They blame it on their batteries dying, or their ears not hearing right, or just being too busy, or too old, or too tired. But really it’s because they don’t have enough room inside their boxes. When I was turning five, Mom bought me a box for all my art. She was fed up with me leaving my drawings and projects around the house. She told me to choose which pieces were most important because there wasn’t enough room in the box to keep everything. That’s how it is with people’s brains. There’s only enough room for the most important memories and the rest gets thrown away. When I’m the thing that gets thrown away, because I’m not important enough, it’s hard not to get the blues like John Lennon on The White Album when he sings, I’m lonely and I wanna die.
I just want to feel better. Maybe I’d be okay if it were just small forgetting, like when people miss my half-birthday or they don’t remember to put suntan lotion on the tops of my ears or they forget that my least favorite saying is Forget about it. But it hurts too bad when the thing people keep forgetting is me.
There’s this idea of the phantom limb. A man who’s lost his arm still feels the arm and behaves as if the arm is intact. What I have, then, is a phantom love.
And now I’m doing it again, allowing myself to be sucked into the past. For what purpose? It’s true there’s a brief thrill that comes with digging up what’s been lost, like the strange joy one feels when poking a tender wound. But when the thrill passes, the wound still remains.
The doctor I saw in Arizona, Dr. M, says I’m the only kid he’s ever heard of who has highly superior autobiographical memory, or HSAM. The rest are grown-ups, about thirty of them, and Dr. M thinks that makes me pretty special. Most of the time I don’t feel special, just lonely. I’d rather everyone in the world have HSAM, especially my parents and my friends, so we could all see the same memories.
I hate wearing the same thing twice because it reminds me of another day when I wore the same thing and then I get stuck thinking about that day instead of living the day I’m in.
If Mom says, “Shut the light when you leave the room,” I’ll remember she said it, but sometimes not at the exact time I’m leaving the room, so I’ll “forget” to shut the light. But that kind of small forgetting doesn’t bother me. It’s the other kind, the big kind, when people forget what happened in their lives, that gives me the blues.
But this place will never look empty to me, it’ll always be full, because everywhere I turn, all around me, I see what no one else sees: the memories.
“Do you like fishing?” I ask.
“No, because it’s mean. Grandpa says fish don’t feel pain like we do because they have small brains, but what if one of them has a brain that’s different from all the other fish? How do you know you’re not catching the one fish that feels a lot of pain?”
Because everyone forgets everything. They forget the name of the second person they ever kissed and they forget about what happened to those twins who were taken apart as babies and they even forget their own grandchildren. And it’s not fair because I would never do that.
But then I realized, it’s not people’s fault that they have crappy brains. That’s what reminders are for. Mom never forgets to pay the bills because she has a reminder on her calendar. And Dad remembers to put new batteries in our smoke alarm only because it starts beeping. And no one forgets Martin Luther King because he has his own holiday every year. It works the same way with songs. Everyone remembers John Lennon, even Grandma, because his songs are reminders. My song is going to be a reminder to everyone that they should keep me in their brainboxes, and I have less than two weeks to finish it.
If a song hits you deep enough, you never get it out of your system.
Sydney had told me all about Joan, how uncanny it was that she could store so many details in her head, the monumental and inconsequential taking up equal space.
She is something close to miraculous.
He believed you could visualize almost any dream into existence.
Whenever I meet ex-artists, they always look half alive.
The more you experience, the more you have to write about.
“It’s a good kind of nervous.” “I don’t think I’ve ever had the good kind of nervous.”
You forgot the earliest lesson of love: a little discomfort is a small price to pay.
Because it’s too painful to remember. Because it's even more painful to forget.
It’s not just about waiting around for an idea to come, it’s also about knowing when the idea has finally arrived.
He slides his hand through his hair either because he has great style or because he has a headache, I’m not sure which.
I love thinking about my grandmother but I also hate it, because what happened at the end of her life makes all the other memories I have of her feel less special. It’s like we were playing this great concert together and when we got to our last song of the night, she just left the stage and now I have to face the crowd by myself and sometimes I just don’t feel strong enough to do it alone.
Then again, considering the satisfaction on her face, maybe that’s her point. Being a grown-up isn’t a matter of age or responsibility. For Paige, it’s finally having the power to do whatever the hell she wants.
She’s been living on her own for decades and doing just fine. But that doesn’t mean she never gets lonely.
I know I’ll always have this night saved in my memory but memories are never as good as the real moment, just like a cover version of a song is hardly ever as good as the original.
I don’t know if I can wait that long because waiting is the worst thing ever invented.
People think I shouldn’t miss things because I always have the memories of them saved in my brainbox, but the memories only make me miss the things more.
And now Mom is making me feel even worse because she just found a dress that is so great it would normally make me want to jump into the air but instead I just smile like a clown. Clowns have big smiles painted on their faces but they still don’t look happy.
It was then that you discovered his special gift; he had a skill so rare that when people experienced it, they found themselves opening up to him fully. It was simple: he listened.
I know how powerful it can be when someone puts his faith in you.
No one’s ever done that before, spent all that time thinking about just me and who I am and what I’m made of.
But you know what? I don’t think the two things are separate, you and your art. They’re part of the same thing. And the whole point with art is that we try to make people feel something, right?
That’s love, isn’t it? Trusting. Believing.
I’m the adult here, theoretically, but I’m not sure how to handle this situation... All I know is that this little girl nearly made me lose my shit today. And frankly, I have very little shit left to lose.
You’ve got plenty of good reasons not to do it. All I’m saying is, if it’s something you really want, trust me, you’ll figure it out.
I wonder if maybe that’s why people say no all the time, because there are so many things to be scared of.
I fall onto my bed and pull the blanket over my legs. Mom hugs me through the blanket and tells me she loves me and strokes my hair. But none of it makes me feel any better because I’ve got a giant bruise on the inside of my body.
And if we’d never found that perfect one, so be it. We would have been able to sleep knowing we tried. We were true of heart. We were honest. We were open. We believed. What a rare thing, to believe. We were lucky. We could’ve been.
I’m having a hard time thinking about what’s here because I’m mostly thinking about what’s not here. I wish there was a way to know when you were seeing someone for the last time so you could pay extra-close attention to that person when it was happening.
So I write it all out and now I’m clicking the button that makes it go through the wires and across the universe and into his brain so that his brain can be full of all the things my brain is full of. This way he’ll know that it’s okay to go back to the past now because there are a few things back there that are worth seeing a second time.
Because you taught me about the good kind of nervous (Tuesday, July 16) and I finally felt it (Tuesday, July 30).
You just have to keep making art that feels good to you. You can’t control what happens after that. It seems like no one’s paying attention, but then, when you least expect it, someone hears it. Just keep putting yourself out there. It’s the hardest thing. But you never know. That’s it. You just never know.
Wanting something so badly is tiring.
We just need one song. That’s all it takes. One song that the whole world never forgets.
April 15, 2017
Preface to this review:
I have been a fan of Val Emmich's for years -- while this is his first published novel, I've had the pleasure of reading his written word and hearing those lyrics come to life with every single CD I've purchased, with every live show I've been to. His talent is unprecedented. If you're looking to have your heart ripped out of your chest and your soul split wide open, listen to his music. His honesty about love, life and loss are enough to make you questions everything you've every thought or known. If you read this review, do yourself a favor and not only check out this book but his music as well. (Consider pre-ordering the book. I'm serious. You receive an EP of songs directly linked to this book and it will be the most rewarding experience - http://www.littlebrown.com/thereminde.... You can thank me later.)
Review:
Joan Sully. Age ten. Remembers everything, but wants to be remembered. An accident that could happen to any child left Joan with the gift of HSAM - a highly superior autobiographical memory. However, it isn't a gift that Joan cherishes but rather one she wishes she could give back. All she wants to do is understand is what it is to forget. With her grandmother unable to recognize her before passing away and the way she watches her father forget something as simple as almond milk, the common tie between both is the categories of favorite songs stored away in memory forever. An idea is born from a newspaper advertisement that Joan's father offers to her upon (finally) remembering to pick her up from school - write a reminder. All songs are reminders, after all.
Gavin Winters. Remembers everything, but wants to forget. Reeling from the death of his long term partner, Sydney, the small reminders become overwhelming. While he can burn away the belongings, he can't burn away the memories. As an actor in Los Angeles, the media coverage and paparazzi is a reminder of his own actions, as if the ashed covered belongings weren't enough. The coverage reaches to the East Coast where the familiar name catches the attention of two college friends that reach out in concern. Upon recommendation, Gavin heads back to the East Coast to New Jersey to reside in a basement apartment of the family that he held such close ties to. After all, it isn't often that one is set up with their significant other by a college roommate and wife and it works out.
Joan is suffering her own loss upon Gavin's arrival to her family's home. The news of her father closing his studio is incomprehensible to her, constantly questioning as to why someone would stop doing something they love to do something they hate. In the studio, there is a framed poster - Ollie, her father, and Gavin's band name on full display. It is where Joan encounters Gavin in person for the first time. Her memory clearly scrolls through all dates and times where she's seen him, in pictures and television, and all of the stories she's heard of him. But what Gavin isn't expecting is her descriptive memory of one of the four times that Sydney had been in their home.
To Joan, Gavin's gift is his musical experience and direction. Not to mention, his incredible patience with her and kindness as they walk through the musical journey together. With his assistance, she believes her song is destined to win "The Next Great Songwriter" contest and she'll be remembered rather than forgotten. To Gavin, Joan's gift is to help with providing closure to a mystery that appears during his time in New Jersey. Gavin may have been able to leave the physical charred mementos back in Los Angeles but Joan's memories of Sydney's visits with her family stir up more questions than answers. Together, they set forth on a journey together -- one of discovery, one that explores loss, friendship and love in various forms.
I hesitated in this review because I truly didn't want to give too much away. I was given this book during a time where I constantly questioned the purity of human interactions. This book explores so many wonderful things about life and memories that we often forget about. To have a memory like Joan's and remember not only the date and time, but the shirt a person was wearing or what they were saying, is something one would think they would ultimately want. For Gavin, Joan's gift was the memories that he didn't have, the bits and pieces that he missed out on. This book shares an unlikely interaction of two people that are searching for something so different, but build this undeniable friendship that isn't expected. The connection is so beautiful and pure, it is innocent and so heartwarming. But what I truly love most about this book is the underlying explanation of music. How it can remind of us of so many things, of these little moments in our life that we would otherwise forget.
We are all searching for something, for some it is understanding and for some it is closure. For some, it may be everything. Sometimes, we just need to hear a song to understand and remember what we are searching for. All songs are reminders, after all.
"Maybe the trick, when I'm finally ready, is to quit treating these reminders like treacherous chasms to leap over. And to one day, maybe, see them as good reasons to stop and celebrate." (pg. 183.)
I have been a fan of Val Emmich's for years -- while this is his first published novel, I've had the pleasure of reading his written word and hearing those lyrics come to life with every single CD I've purchased, with every live show I've been to. His talent is unprecedented. If you're looking to have your heart ripped out of your chest and your soul split wide open, listen to his music. His honesty about love, life and loss are enough to make you questions everything you've every thought or known. If you read this review, do yourself a favor and not only check out this book but his music as well. (Consider pre-ordering the book. I'm serious. You receive an EP of songs directly linked to this book and it will be the most rewarding experience - http://www.littlebrown.com/thereminde.... You can thank me later.)
Review:
Joan Sully. Age ten. Remembers everything, but wants to be remembered. An accident that could happen to any child left Joan with the gift of HSAM - a highly superior autobiographical memory. However, it isn't a gift that Joan cherishes but rather one she wishes she could give back. All she wants to do is understand is what it is to forget. With her grandmother unable to recognize her before passing away and the way she watches her father forget something as simple as almond milk, the common tie between both is the categories of favorite songs stored away in memory forever. An idea is born from a newspaper advertisement that Joan's father offers to her upon (finally) remembering to pick her up from school - write a reminder. All songs are reminders, after all.
Gavin Winters. Remembers everything, but wants to forget. Reeling from the death of his long term partner, Sydney, the small reminders become overwhelming. While he can burn away the belongings, he can't burn away the memories. As an actor in Los Angeles, the media coverage and paparazzi is a reminder of his own actions, as if the ashed covered belongings weren't enough. The coverage reaches to the East Coast where the familiar name catches the attention of two college friends that reach out in concern. Upon recommendation, Gavin heads back to the East Coast to New Jersey to reside in a basement apartment of the family that he held such close ties to. After all, it isn't often that one is set up with their significant other by a college roommate and wife and it works out.
Joan is suffering her own loss upon Gavin's arrival to her family's home. The news of her father closing his studio is incomprehensible to her, constantly questioning as to why someone would stop doing something they love to do something they hate. In the studio, there is a framed poster - Ollie, her father, and Gavin's band name on full display. It is where Joan encounters Gavin in person for the first time. Her memory clearly scrolls through all dates and times where she's seen him, in pictures and television, and all of the stories she's heard of him. But what Gavin isn't expecting is her descriptive memory of one of the four times that Sydney had been in their home.
To Joan, Gavin's gift is his musical experience and direction. Not to mention, his incredible patience with her and kindness as they walk through the musical journey together. With his assistance, she believes her song is destined to win "The Next Great Songwriter" contest and she'll be remembered rather than forgotten. To Gavin, Joan's gift is to help with providing closure to a mystery that appears during his time in New Jersey. Gavin may have been able to leave the physical charred mementos back in Los Angeles but Joan's memories of Sydney's visits with her family stir up more questions than answers. Together, they set forth on a journey together -- one of discovery, one that explores loss, friendship and love in various forms.
I hesitated in this review because I truly didn't want to give too much away. I was given this book during a time where I constantly questioned the purity of human interactions. This book explores so many wonderful things about life and memories that we often forget about. To have a memory like Joan's and remember not only the date and time, but the shirt a person was wearing or what they were saying, is something one would think they would ultimately want. For Gavin, Joan's gift was the memories that he didn't have, the bits and pieces that he missed out on. This book shares an unlikely interaction of two people that are searching for something so different, but build this undeniable friendship that isn't expected. The connection is so beautiful and pure, it is innocent and so heartwarming. But what I truly love most about this book is the underlying explanation of music. How it can remind of us of so many things, of these little moments in our life that we would otherwise forget.
We are all searching for something, for some it is understanding and for some it is closure. For some, it may be everything. Sometimes, we just need to hear a song to understand and remember what we are searching for. All songs are reminders, after all.
"Maybe the trick, when I'm finally ready, is to quit treating these reminders like treacherous chasms to leap over. And to one day, maybe, see them as good reasons to stop and celebrate." (pg. 183.)
April 25, 2017
There are very few books that have made me cry. This book touched a place within me and made me truly feel. Part mystery, part love story, part coming of age; I didn't want it to end. I fell in love with Joan, an old soul with a spitfire personality, and the friendship between Gavin and Joan. Connections come in all forms and at all ages and the connection between these two stayed with me. The author made me love these characters and I didn't want the book to end.
May 16, 2017
It was touching and sad without being sappy. It was funny and happy without detracting from the subject. This unique story made me want to come back to it. The pacing is perfect.
May 25, 2025
10-year-old Joan Lennon is the kind of narrator who entrances me. She's both naive and wise and has a special highly superior autobiographical memory (HSAM) that makes her unusual and gives the novel a The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake vibe. She is not the only voice though, the other is a budding actor whose partner has died suddenly. Neither character can forget, no matter what, and that drives the emotional storytelling. I really liked them both and for 80% of the book, I was charmed and engaged and impressed by how this author was uncovering the importance and heartache of memory. For me, the last 20% went off the rails a bit, with a plot that interfered with the emotional resonance Emmich had built, but still, I continue to be rewarded by my commitment to read some titles that have been sitting for years on my TBR. This was an overall winner.
April 29, 2017
I really enjoyed reading The Reminders by Val Emmich. I read half the novel in one sitting and the other half in a second sitting. The pacing was quick enough to allow me to enjoy the story without getting bored (150 pages in one sitting normally makes me fidgety), but Emmich took enough time to add meaning, depth, and foreshadowing to his story, especially when he introduced the situation and his cast of characters.
I thought the characters were really well-done. I genuinely cared about Gavin and the outcome of the growing conflict surrounding the death of his partner, Sydney. Joan was interesting. She was a passionate character, and anyone with a drive to be remembered for their work or talent will connect with pieces of her. (She may have made some more dramatic choices than I would have, but I understood the desire pushing her to make those dramatic moves.)
Even a few of the minor characters stood out for me, too. Joan's parents, Ollie and Paige, felt like real parents in their mid- to late thirties who are in the process of juggling parenthood with their pasts.
The Reminders has a lot of elements of pop culture: the Beatles' references, places, events, and even a daytime talk show scene. Those things kept the story in the here-and-now, balancing the classic elements of grief, healing, fear, strength, and self discovery with our present world of the media.
All in all, great book. I really enjoyed it from start to finish. Thank you, Val Emmich and Little, Brown and Company for the opportunity to read this novel so early!
I thought the characters were really well-done. I genuinely cared about Gavin and the outcome of the growing conflict surrounding the death of his partner, Sydney. Joan was interesting. She was a passionate character, and anyone with a drive to be remembered for their work or talent will connect with pieces of her. (She may have made some more dramatic choices than I would have, but I understood the desire pushing her to make those dramatic moves.)
Even a few of the minor characters stood out for me, too. Joan's parents, Ollie and Paige, felt like real parents in their mid- to late thirties who are in the process of juggling parenthood with their pasts.
The Reminders has a lot of elements of pop culture: the Beatles' references, places, events, and even a daytime talk show scene. Those things kept the story in the here-and-now, balancing the classic elements of grief, healing, fear, strength, and self discovery with our present world of the media.
All in all, great book. I really enjoyed it from start to finish. Thank you, Val Emmich and Little, Brown and Company for the opportunity to read this novel so early!
June 11, 2017
The Reminders is a heartfelt, beautiful story ... inventive, insightful, and so true to life. The characters, their relationships and the story are so rich and relatable that you're immersed in the world of the book, eager to learn how things unfold.
And it's all of the little details and observations ... like Joan thinking Sydney's earmuffs were headphones. And Joan's sketches. And how she emulates her dad; and knows band names have to start with The ... they all paint such a vivid world.
The tie to music serves as a clever background and is a neat peek into the world of artists/musicians ... but really it's a stand-in for any shared interest that bond people together. What's amazing is the dynamic between Joan and her father, Joan's parents themselves as they come into "adulthood" making hard family choices, Gavin and his relationship with this unique young woman ...
And add in the interesting "gift" Joan has, (which is a truly fascinating REAL THING in human life) ... and the story just gets more textured and layered and wonderful. To have captured and expressed the mind of a young girl, let alone someone with the gift Joan has is a real feat, and a pleasure to read.
Think along the lines of Little Miss Sunshine ... an endearing, heartwarming tale that will make you laugh out loud at times, and tear up at others, but mostly with a knowing smile on your face in understanding the ups and downs of life and the perseverance of the human spirit.
A great read!
And it's all of the little details and observations ... like Joan thinking Sydney's earmuffs were headphones. And Joan's sketches. And how she emulates her dad; and knows band names have to start with The ... they all paint such a vivid world.
The tie to music serves as a clever background and is a neat peek into the world of artists/musicians ... but really it's a stand-in for any shared interest that bond people together. What's amazing is the dynamic between Joan and her father, Joan's parents themselves as they come into "adulthood" making hard family choices, Gavin and his relationship with this unique young woman ...
And add in the interesting "gift" Joan has, (which is a truly fascinating REAL THING in human life) ... and the story just gets more textured and layered and wonderful. To have captured and expressed the mind of a young girl, let alone someone with the gift Joan has is a real feat, and a pleasure to read.
Think along the lines of Little Miss Sunshine ... an endearing, heartwarming tale that will make you laugh out loud at times, and tear up at others, but mostly with a knowing smile on your face in understanding the ups and downs of life and the perseverance of the human spirit.
A great read!
June 1, 2017
i just finished "the reminders." what an absolute joy to read. i adore precocious Joan, who is so wise beyond her years. i love her quest/need to be remembered. i think that's what all of us want at some point. to be remembered, to be a reminder of something to someone. in times of despair i often question whether if i was gone would anyone remember me? do we make a difference? could i be someone's reminder?
towards the end when joan and her dad are in home depot and she climbs the ladder wanting to fall and hit her head and lose her "super powers," i cried. it reminded me so much of when my daughter was 10 and on her swingset ladder platform and told me she wanted to jump off and kill herself. gut wrenching for a parent.
i loved gavin and sydney and their relationship and quest to be parents. of all the adults in the novel (paige, ollie, sydney, veronica, and mara) i truly think gavin is the best equipped emotionally to be a parent.
i loved it from start to finish. i laughed, i cried, i smiled, and i hummed along. it makes you think and fills you with joy.
it's endearing and will be one of my all time favorites that i read at least once a year.
i have now read "the reminders" twice. it is just as good the second time around.
towards the end when joan and her dad are in home depot and she climbs the ladder wanting to fall and hit her head and lose her "super powers," i cried. it reminded me so much of when my daughter was 10 and on her swingset ladder platform and told me she wanted to jump off and kill herself. gut wrenching for a parent.
i loved gavin and sydney and their relationship and quest to be parents. of all the adults in the novel (paige, ollie, sydney, veronica, and mara) i truly think gavin is the best equipped emotionally to be a parent.
i loved it from start to finish. i laughed, i cried, i smiled, and i hummed along. it makes you think and fills you with joy.
it's endearing and will be one of my all time favorites that i read at least once a year.
i have now read "the reminders" twice. it is just as good the second time around.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 11, 2017
I couldn't put this book down! The story of Joan and Gavin is beautifully written. This book made me laugh and cry and I am hoping for a sequel. The life of Joan depicted in the novel is original yet relatable. Val Emmich does a great job of showing you life through the eyes of a 10 year old with the rare ability of being able to remember every detail of her life with perfect clarity. Do yourself a favor and read this book, you will not be disappointed!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 30, 2016
I was lucky enough to read and early draft of this novel and sensed from the start that there was something special about it. The characters are unique and endearing -- especially ten-year-old Joan -- and the story is unforgettable.
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