The Reminders

An irresistible debut novel about love, loss, memory and unlikely friendship, for fans of Nick Hornby, Mark Haddon and Maria Semple. A wonderful and unusual story told in a beautifully understated way. Quietly magnificent' Ruth Hogan, author of The Keeper of Lost ThingsTen-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, Val Emmich's The Reminders is a funny, heart-wrenching and uplifting story of friendship, grief, memory and hope.