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Val Emmich
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The Reminders Paperback – September 25, 2018

by Val Emmich (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 603 ratings
Editors' pick Best Literature & Fiction
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From the author of Dear Evan Hansen, The Reminders is perfect for fans of J. Courtney Sullivan's The Engagement or Graeme Simsion's The Rosie Project, and follows what happens when a girl who can't forget befriends a man who's desperate to remember.

Grief-stricken over his partner Sydney's death, Gavin sets fire to every reminder in the couple's home before fleeing Los Angeles for New Jersey, where he hopes to find peace with the family of an old friend. Instead, he finds Joan.

Joan, the family's ten-year-old daughter, was born Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory, or HSAM: the rare ability to recall every day of her life in cinematic detail. Joan has never met Gavin until now, but she did know his partner, and waiting inside her uncanny mind are startlingly vivid memories to prove it.

Gavin strikes a deal with Joan: in return for sharing her memories of Sydney, Gavin will help her win a songwriting contest she's convinced will make her unforgettable. The unlikely duo set off on their quest until Joan reveals unexpected details about Sydney's final months, forcing Gavin to question not only the purity of his past with Sydney but the course of his own immediate future. Told in the alternating voices of these two irresistible characters, The Reminders is a hilarious and tender exploration of loss, memory, friendship, and renewal.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    320 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Back Bay Books
  4. Publication date
    September 25, 2018
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.88 x 8.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0316317020
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0316317023
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Emmich performs a bit of creative magic...in his warm and winning debut―Huffington Post

"Like Nick Hornby, Emmich has a knack for avoiding the treacly and saccharine while finding magic in unlikely relationships."―National Book Review

"Charming, raw and filled with empathy and sorrow, THE REMINDERS is also a refreshing look into the lives of people on the road to healing and new purpose, and for these reasons alone I give THE REMINDERS five stars."―The Aquarian

"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."―Book Riot

"Beautiful and beguiling, a story that will stay with you long after you finish reading it"―Popsugar

"Val Emmich has created an indelible cast of complex and quirky characters who drew me in for an emotional and humorous ride. THE REMINDERS is 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, [Val Emmich] has given literature a remarkable young heroine, Joan, and a series of seemingly small events that add up to the kind of story small classics are made of. I could not stop reading, and was bereft when the story ended."
―Jacquelyn Mitchard, bestselling author The Deep End of the Ocean

"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

"An endearing and wise novel. 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, author of The Snow Child

"Emmich captures the voices of Joan and Gavin, two such different characters, brilliantly. Actor and musician Emmich (Vinyl; Ugly Betty; 30 Rock) can confidently add "novelist" to his list of achievements. He has written a quirky, touching, and addictive read."
―Library Journal

"Achingly sweet and unexpectedly nuanced.... profoundly likable pair of leading characters."―Kirkus

"Charming and relatable."―Booklist

"An entertaining and emotionally powerful read."―NJ.com

"This is a book that leaves you feeling better about life and the role we play, either on purpose or inadvertently".―Kirkus Review

"All of the characters grow throughout the book,making Emmich's novel worthyof being remembered―NJ.com

About the Author

Val Emmich is a writer, singer-songwriter, and actor. He has had recurring roles on Vinyl and Ugly Betty as well as a memorable guest role as Liz Lemon's coffee-boy fling, Jamie, on 30 Rock. His debut novel, The Reminders, was a B&N Discover selection that Library Journal called "quirky, touching, and addictive."

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Back Bay Books; Reprint edition (September 25, 2018)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0316317020
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0316317023
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.88 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 603 ratings

About the author

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Val Emmich

Val Emmich

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Dubbed a "Renaissance Man" by the New York Post, Val Emmich is a writer, singer-songwriter, and actor. He has had recurring roles on Vinyl and Ugly Betty as well as a memorable guest role as Liz Lemon's coffee-boy fling, Jamie, on 30 Rock. Emmich lives in Jersey City, New Jersey, with his wife and their two children. The Reminders is his first novel.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
603 global ratings
Beautiful characters, beautiful story!
4 Stars
Beautiful characters, beautiful story!
Val Emmich's The Reminders tells the stories of Gavin Winters, the star of a television show who has just lost his partner and love of his life, and Joan Lennon Sully, a ten-year-old girl with an extremely rare neurological condition that causes her to remember every single detail of her life perfectly. Their lives intersect when Gavin travels from Los Angeles to New York to stay with Joan and her parents for a while to help clear his head after attempting to rid himself of all memories of his partner, Sydney, in a bonfire in his backyard, which was captured on video by a neighbor and soon went viral. As he and Joan form a bond through her memories of Sydney, Gavin battles with the pain of remembering Sydney while knowing that forgetting him would be even worse. Meanwhile, Joan struggles with her own issues--worrying she will be forgotten by those she loves and trying to hold on to the things she loves most, like her dad's recording studio that he is planning to close.This is a very endearing story about the power of memories and the importance of holding on to them, even if doing so hurts. I adored Joan, and Emmich wrote her chapters with all the innocence and precociousness of a child while still giving her the heaviness that the weight of her condition would ultimately cause. The pain that her fear of being forgotten causes felt very real, and it contrasts perfectly to the pain that remembering his life with Sydney causes Gavin. Gavin himself was an interesting character to me. He is deeply flawed, but he acknowledges those flaws often, and his journey to accepting Sydney's death and the regrets he has as a result of those flaws reached me deeply. And sprinkled throughout Joan's and Gavin's stories are the issues facing Joan's parents, Paige and Ollie.This is the first book I have read in a while that made me pick up my highlighter and mark all the beautiful passages that Emmich crafted. His ability to switch between Joan's ten-year-old voice and Gavin's more mature and grieving voice is a work of art all on its own, and I found myself completely unable to put this book down. This was especially true once Gavin was faced with several unanswered questions about Sydney's journeys to New York, and I found myself incredibly anxious to discover what he was hiding.This is a beautiful book. Although there is a lot going on (Gavin's grief, Sydney's secrets, Paige and Ollie's issues with the studio, Ollie's job, Joan's fear of being forgotten, a songwriting contest, a TV appearance, Joan's new distance from her father), the journey through it all is worth it.
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Top reviews from the United States

Sheila McClure Workman
5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful, Touching, and Memorable Story
Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2017
Verified Purchase
From the opening pages of The Reminders, little Joan Lennon Sully wraps you around her finger. Her stunning and awe-inspiring memory, precociousness, and seemingly never-ending curiosity draw the reader into her story. When Val Emmich combines Joan Lennon with grief-stricken and embattled Gavin Winters, music is made. Joan Lennon Sully has HSAM, a rare condition which allows her to have a perfect memory. Gavin Winters has just lost the love of his life and is now struggling to find meaning. When Gavin stays with Joan Lennon’s parents to find escape, the two begin a unique and memorable friendship, based in Joan’s memories of Sydney, Gavin’s lost partner, and their shared love of music. With these two characters, Emmich creates a spell-bounding narrative, where the reader feels a part of Gavin and Joan’s friendship. The overarching theme of music lends an especially poetic feel to the book and its message. The dual perspectives of Joan and Gavin allow for extremely detailed character development, making Joan and Gavin leap off the page. With the two, you feel Gavin’s grief and lost sense of purpose while feeling Joan’s ever-increasing confusion and fear of others forgetting. Truly creative and unique, The Reminders is a reminder in itself of the power of friendship and the strength of the human spirit.
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Azzurra Rowland
4.0 out of 5 stars Fun-endearing novel! Check out theinkblotters.com for Author Q & A!
Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2017
Verified Purchase
If the name Val Emmich sounds familiar to you, it’s because you may have recently seen him on HBO’s Mick Jagger’s and Martin Scorsese’s produced TV show Vinyl, about a record executive in the 1970’s. Or you may remember him from other popular TV shows such as Ugly Betty, 30 Rock, and Cashmere Mafia. Or you may have stumbled upon some of his songs whilst watching an episode of Teen Wolf.

More recently, you may find Val Emmich in the bookstore in the form of his debut novel, The Reminders.

The plot is pretty straight forward, it’s told in alternating voices (something that Jennifer Niven loves to do in her novels as well), between Gavin Winters, an actor of a semi-popular TV show that has recently lost the love of his life and Joan Lennon Sully, a precocious ten-year old girl with a fascinating but rare neurological condition that allows her to recall every single detail of her life since the age of four.

Gavin and Joan’s lives meet when Gavin goes to visit his old college friends in New Jersey, as a way to escape a scandal in Los Angeles and in the meantime try to forget his time with his partner Sydney since the memories are too painful for him to move on. Meanwhile, Joan struggles with the notion of being forgotten after her grandmother has difficulty remembering her because of Alzheimer’s disease and yet can still recall all the lyrics of her favourite songs, which prompt her to believe that in order to be remembered she must write an amazing song just like John Lennon (her hero and namesake). Once Joan learns that Gavin used to be a musician, she attempts to persuade her into helping her write a memorable song if she in return shares with him her memories of his late love. Together, they forge a very dynamic and amusing bond.

The novel’s strength is that is has us pondering the importance of memories. Is it a curse to forget or is it an even bigger curse to remember? Ultimately, the reader will come up with their own conclusions on that as the characters each demonstrate the pros and cons of both of those throughout the novel. If you’re a music lover (in particular a Beatles fan) you’re going to love all the tidbits about them strewn throughout the novel. I particularly enjoyed being able to see the world with child-like wonder as Joan and then seeing the world from the eyes of an emotionally broken character such as Gavin. One of the best moments in the novel is when the two of them end up on the Mindy Love Show (that for some reason reminds me very much of The Wendy Williams Show) and how that goes drastically different from how both characters thought it would go, but as a reader it was hilarious although you’re left sort of cringing for the two characters at the same time.

If you’re hoping to get immersed in a music-filled ode to memories and the power they hold, then The Reminders is right up your ally. It’s a fun, light, but also thought-provoking book about love, loss, and what is worth fighting for, that will leave you missing the characters once you’re done.
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5.0 out of 5 stars beautiful story.
Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2017
Verified Purchase
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!
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3.0 out of 5 stars Nice, easy summer beach read with characters who have some unusual problems
Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2017
Verified Purchase
You live in the heads of a young girl with astounding memory capabilities and a man who's lost the love of his life. They ping pong back and forth to tell the story. It's kind of a fun writers trick, but starts to wear a bit thin by mid-way through.

This is not a page-turner, more of a lazy summer beach read. At least the characters have some more interesting problems then the average book these days. And it's not quite a formulaic as many. But for some reason, I didn't find either character easy to connect with. I wanted to like them and cheer them on, but I never really caught on to their points of view.

The reveal is a little maudlin as well. You already knew where it was headed as the author leaves rather too large bread crumbs for you to follow.

Fairly well written...it's worth a look.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Youdontownme
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 7, 2017
Vine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )
This is a wonderful book with vivid, engaging characters and a great story centring around the unlikely friendship between a girl who has a photographic memory and difficulty relating to other people, and a gay actor who is struggling to come to terms with the death of his partner. The writing is beautiful and the characters stay with you.

When I'd finished I passed it on to my 13 year old daughter and she also loved it.
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Inés Hagenbucher
5.0 out of 5 stars Schönes Buch
Reviewed in Germany on September 27, 2017
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Liest sich nach den ersten Seiten zu beurteilen schon sehr gut. Ich freu mich drauf, es im Urlaub zu lesen
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Northern AB Sunshine
4.0 out of 5 stars Very good read
Reviewed in Canada on November 23, 2017
Verified Purchase
Good read. Not predictable, which, when reading as many books as I do, is a complete delight. Very enjoyable book.
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Mrs. K. A. Wheatley
5.0 out of 5 stars A Really Charming Read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 15, 2017
Vine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )
What a charming book. I loved this so much. Gentle, thoughtful, generous and lovely. It's a clever take on the power of memory and also forgetting, when it comes to the people we've loved and lost. The narrative switches between two first person narrators, Joan, a ten year old girl who has an eidetic memory of her whole life from when she was five, and middle aged, Gavin, a well known actor who is in the public spotlight for his very public breakdown after the loss of his partner, Syd. Joan and Gavin's lives interconnect in the most marvellous way.
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Zipster Zeus
4.0 out of 5 stars Likeable and affecting
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 23, 2017
Vine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )
An accomplished first novel that is likeable and affecting. Good characters that develop nicely that you find yourself empathising with, particularly Joan, the central character who has perfect recall of her memories- all of them, good and bad. It's a relatively gentle but intriguing tale- a good UK comparison is probably Mark Haddon- if you like his stuff, then you will this. Well worth a look.
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