Overview

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

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9781471155109

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Reviews

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

'A smart and challenging examination of probity and perspective. Khemiri's fascinating puzzle of a book is a compelling examination of probity and perspective' -- Carys Bray, bestselling author of A Song for Issy Bradley on Everything I Don't Remember 'Heartbreakingly sad and laugh-out-loud funny ... Khemiri's wry , sharply observed tales of post-9-11 Swedish life have a huge following. This novel's chorus of drifters, romantics and cynics stick in the memory, each competing to tell their own truth' -- Hari Kunzru on Everything I Don't Remember 'A wonderful and mysterious book. Close to a journalistic or criminal investigation, every sentence trembles with Khemeri's electrifying prose. A very original tour de force that vibrated in my mind long after I had read the last page' -- Herman Koch on Everything I Don't Remember 'Jonas Hassen Khemiri has crafted an enthralling jigsaw-puzzle of a book. Part love story, part reflection on loss, on memory, Everything I Don't Remember is a smart, one-of-a-kind literary novel that is both beautiful and heartbreaking. This is storytelling at its best' -- Jennifer McMahon, New York Times-bestselling author of The Night Sister on Everything I Don't Remember 'With its energetic prose and innovative structure, Everything I Don't Remember confirms that Jonas Hassen Khemiri is not only one of Sweden's best authors, but a great talent of our time' -- Vendela Vida, author of The Diver's Clothes Lie Empty on Everything I Don't Remember 'A generation-defining writer' The Sunday Times 'One of the most engrossing novels of the summer. [...] Khemiri's stylistic approach is sure to keep readers of Everything I Don't Remember enthralled every step of the way.' BookPage on Everything I Don't Remember 'A literary mystery you won't forget. [...] Perhaps it goes without saying, but Khemiri is a crafty writer. It is no wonder the original publication of Everything I Don't Remember won the August Prize, Sweden's most esteemed literary honor. [...] Khemiri uses his skills as a playwright to wonderful effect, rationing out sections of interviews one at a time, each excerpt a separate scene on the stage. [...] The information Khemiri leaves out is enough to warrant another novel for each of the characters. Somehow, the omitted details add another layer to the book, which will surely generate musical conversations about memories.' Chicago Review of Books on Everything I Don't Remember 'Khemiri won Sweden's most prestigious literary honor, the August Prize, for this compelling novel about Samuel. [...] Through tantalizing fragments, the reader learns of the dead man's various relationships [...] In this painful novel about youthful optimism gone hopelessly wrong, Khemiri dramatizes such immigration-related issues as failures in elder care, unemployment and dead-end jobs, drug abuse, and racial prejudice.' Publishers Weekly on Everything I Don't Remember '[Everything I Don't Remember] reads like a novel in its original language; the voices are all unique, conversational and real-seeming. And for a story that revolves around death, it's remarkably funny; even the characters' disdain for each other is tinged with humor.' Houston Chronicle on Everything I Don't Remember 'A 'must' for those interested in narrative voice.' Library Journal on Everything I Don't Remember '[M]oving and grimly funny.' Kirkus Reviews on Everything I Don't Remember 'In this fast-paced, uniquely structured novel, the winner of Sweden's prestigious August Prize, Khemiri explores family, race, inheritance, and memory.' Booklist on Everything I Don't Remember 'Multiple-award winning novelist and playwright Khemiri is revered in his native Sweden. [...] This intelligent, sensitive book explains why.' The Big Issue on Everything I Don't Remember 'Everything I Don't Remember is an impressive piece of work, and one senses that the novel is exactly what Khemiri intended it to be, which is a feat in itself. The translation is smooth and natural, making the novel read as though it were written in English, containing none of the stiff, formal prose that scars many other translated works.' New York Journal of Books on Everything I Don't Remember 'Immersive and mysterious [...] Richly drawn, powerful and memorable read, from one of Sweden's literary superstars.' Judith D Collins Must Read Books on Everything I Don't Remember

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

Author Information

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

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