Everything I Don't Remember

A young man named Samuel dies in a car crash. 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 of Samuel 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 he loses touch with them both.
When Samuel's grandmother moves into a nursing home, he and Laide - an Arabic translator determined to protect vulnerable women - secretly turn her house into a refuge. But Vandad, struggling to find work, marginalised and broke, sees an opportunity to get closer to Samuel and make a buck at the same time - and after disaster strikes, the question of who did what drives a wedge between the friends.
Told with tenderness, wit and stylistic ingenuity, Everything I Don't Remember is an enthralling tale of love and memory, and an exhilarating narrative puzzle. It is also the story of a writer who, in filling out the contours of Samuel's life, is trying to grasp a truth about himself and all of us - in the end, what remains of our fleeting memories? How do we account for the substance of a life?