Remember Me Like This: A Novel

· Sold by Random House
4.0
8 reviews
Ebook
400
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

“Enthralling . . . [an] exquisitely moral mystery of how we struggle to accept and love the people we call family.”The New York Times Book Review (Editor’s Choice)

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review • Esquire • BookPage


A gripping novel with the pace of a thriller but the nuanced characterization and deep empathy of some of the literary canon’s most beloved novels, Remember Me Like This introduces Bret Anthony Johnston as one of the most gifted storytellers writing today. With his sophisticated and emotionally taut plot and his shimmering prose, Johnston reveals that only in caring for one another can we save ourselves.

Four years have passed since Justin Campbell’s disappearance, a tragedy that rocked the small town of Southport, Texas. Did he run away? Was he kidnapped? Did he drown in the bay? As the Campbells search for answers, they struggle to hold what’s left of their family together.

Then, one afternoon, the impossible happens. The police call to report that Justin has been found only miles away, in the neighboring town, and, most important, he appears to be fine. Though the reunion is a miracle, Justin’s homecoming exposes the deep rifts that have diminished his family, the wounds they all carry that may never fully heal. Trying to return to normal, his parents do their best to ease Justin back into his old life. But as thick summer heat takes hold, violent storms churn in the Gulf and in the Campbells’ hearts. When a reversal of fortune lays bare the family’s greatest fears—and offers perhaps the only hope for recovery—each of them must fight to keep the ties that bind them from permanently tearing apart.

Praise for Remember Me Like This

“An achingly beautiful and psychologically insightful portrait of a family . . . [a] fully immersive novel in which the language is luminous and the delivery almost flawless.”The Boston Globe

“Riveting . . . flows like it was plotted by Dennis Lehane but feels like it was written by Jonathan Franzen.”Esquire

“Tremendously moving . . . There’s real humanity in Johnston’s writing, and it’s heartening to spend time with these folks as they relearn how to be a family.”—Ron Charles, The Washington Post

“Deeply empathetic and masterfully constructed . . . a novel that has both the feel of a great epic and the focused intensity of standing on a highwire.”Salon

Ratings and reviews

4.0
8 reviews
M Sweeney
May 13, 2020
I loved every moment of this book. Every character no matter how central or peripheral fleshed out with so much care and love. Though the story is dark on its surface, it's not oppressive in the least. I'm totally committed now to reading everything of BAJ's I can find. Corpus Christi was stunning and this first novel really delivers. I see BAJ teaches writing in a number of programs. You writing students have a great guide!
Did you find this helpful?
Jeanne
March 31, 2020
Engaging and terrifying at the same time. A place we never want to find ourselves. Thoughts and feelings we don't want and yet we must. Family!
Did you find this helpful?
STICK IT GRAPHICS
May 27, 2015
Great book
1 person found this review helpful
Did you find this helpful?

About the author

Bret Anthony Johnston is the author of the internationally bestselling novel Remember Me Like This and the award-winning Corpus Christi: Stories, and the editor of Naming the World: And Other Exercises for the Creative Writer. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, Esquire, The Paris Review, Thrasher Magazine, The Best American Short Stories, and elsewhere. A recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship and the Sunday Times Short Story Award, he was born and raised in Texas and is the director of the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin.

Rate this ebook

Tell us what you think.

Reading information

Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.