Review: Remember Me Like This by Bret Anthony Johnston

Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Random House (May 13, 2014)
ISBN-10: 1400062128
Source: Publisher

Four years ago Justin Campbell disappeared from his home in the small town of Southport, Texas. The Campbells struggle to find answers, not knowing if he ran away or was abducted. Their lives continue, but a mere shell of the life they led before. When they receive a call from the police saying Justin has been found, alive, in the neighboring town, they can’t believe the news. Elated that their family is together again, they believe that their lives will return to normal.
Unfortunately, the very things that separated them before continue, wounds that may never heal.

Unlike many novels with similar premises, Johnston doesn’t focus on the “before,” with little mention of the Campbell family before Justin disappeared. All the focus is on the “after” and how pronounced the family was changed because of his abduction. All four members of the family are vastly different than they were before, with adultery and lies bearing down on them like invisible weights. The after is almost more difficult to deal with than the abduction itself. So many more unknowns come into play, from what will happen to the abductor to how the family will persevere, almost strangers to one another.

Although it reads like a thriller, the pacing of Remember Me Like This is slow, drawn out and deliberate. Wholly intentional, in my opinion, this allows the reader to feel the weight of the pressure and uncertainty felt by the Campbell family.

While the majority of the active characters are well-established and developed, it is Justin’s character that is the least developed. Again, likely an intended move by the author, for in order for the reader to feel and comprehend what the family is experiencing, an intimate glimpse of their situation, they must be lacking the same connection and knowledge as the family itself.

This book drew me in from the beginning. I have two sons myself (one named Justin) and I couldn’t even fathom what Justin’s family was experiencing. Could anyone in this situation deal with it differently? It is unlikely.

Remember Me Like This is a brilliant, deeply personal and achingly emotional journey of one family as they attempt to heal and recover from a life-altering event. Highly, highly recommended.