The Reminders

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What to expect

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 by musician and actor Val Emmich is a funny, heart-wrenching and uplifting story of friendship, grief, memory and hope.

Critics Review

I thoroughly enjoyed The Reminders. It’s a wonderful and unusual story told in a beautifully understated way. Quietly magnificent''I thoroughly enjoyed The Reminders. It’s a wonderful and unusual story told in a beautifully understated way. Quietly magnificent
Ruth Hogan, author of The Keeper of Lost Things
Achingly tender and charming
Daily Mail
Endearing and wise . . . I adored the unlikely friendship between a gifted child who remembers everything and a grieving man who is trying to forget. Emmich brings a compassionate, often comical, and always true eye to his storytelling. Ten-year-old Joan says a good song should either make you want to dance or cry, and The Reminders does both’
Eowyn Ivey, bestselling author of The Snow Child
A charming, whimsical Odd Couple story that should be read while listening to The Beatles
Red
Val Emmich has created an indelible cast of complex and quirky characters who drew me in for an emotional and humorous ride . . . A book brimming with heart and soul – you really must read it!
Garth Stein, bestselling author of The Art of Racing in the Rain
In a story that is both startlingly original and deeply familiar, I could not stop reading, and was bereft when the story ended.
Jacquelyn Mitchard, bestselling author of The Deep End of the Ocean
This delightful book is perfect for fans of The Rosie Project and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Ten-year-old Joan was born with a rare gift: she can remember every single day of her life in perfect detail . . . With a memorable cast of quirky characters, Emmich weaves a touching, character-driven story of grief and new beginnings. The Reminders is tender without being saccharine and tackles complex themes like relationships and forgiveness with considerable subtlety
Book Riot
Beautiful and beguiling, a story that will stay with you long after you finish reading it
Popsugar
Achingly sweet and unexpectedly nuanced . . . This is a book that leaves you feeling better about life and the role we play
Kirkus
Quirky, touching and addictive
Library Journal
A charming debut novel . . . Like Nick Hornby, Emmich has a knack for avoiding the treacly and saccharine while finding magic in unlikely relationships
National Book Review
Charming and relatable
Booklist
An endearing and sincere paean to the bonds of music and family . . . Quirky and lighthearted yet still soulful, Emmich’s debut reveals his skilled hand for crafting relationships and voice
Shelf Awareness
A touching story told from two points of view
Prima

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