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possumwithahat's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
bigga's review against another edition
4.0
Mjög kúl frásögn og vel farið að. Þó að það væri kúl að láta tvo sögumenn segja frá í einu þá ruglaði það mig pínu og ég var svolítið lengi með hana fyrir vikið.
silviaamaturo's review against another edition
4.0
"Quanto deve essere forte uno schianto perché si senta fin nel futuro? A che velocità bisogna andare per sopravvivere nella memoria di qualcuno?"
Samuel è morto, e questo lo sappiamo fin dal principio. Ed è praticamente l'unico dato di fatto del romanzo. A parte forse che Samuel e Vandad erano amici e che Samuel si è innamorato di Laide.
Tutto il resto...qualcuno ci ha detto che. Ma sarà davvero così? Dove finisce la realtà e comincia la percezione soggettiva? Che ritratto verrebbe fuori di noi stessi se a farlo fosse Tizio, o se fosse invece Caio? Quali fatti e quali aspetti resterebbero nella memoria dei nostri cari? E corrisponderebbero a quelli che avremmo raccontato noi stessi?
Sì, perché il romanzo è tutto costruito sugli ultimi mesi della vita di Samuel, raccontati però non da lui stesso (tranne pochissimi brani), né da un narratore onnisciente. Sono tutte interviste spezzettate e intermittenti rivolte a Vandad, a Laide, alla mamma, alla nonna, al vicino di casa. E sono interviste "pure", non mediate, non trascritte, come se fossimo lì nella stanza con loro e con lo scrittore che le raccoglie. Così le frasi e la narrazione si interrompono a furia di "no, questo non lo scrivere. Piuttosto scrivi così" e "Facciamo una pausa?". E così ognuno di loro racconta dei frammenti e la propria personale visione di Samuel e di quel che è accaduto. La verità, la realtà oggettiva, forse sta lì in mezzo, ma chi lo sa davvero. E lo scrittore (personaggio di finzione o Khemiri stesso?) contribuisce a questa confusione nelle ultime pagine del romanzo.
I temi toccati sono moltissimi: l'amore, l'amicizia, la memoria, l'immigrazione, la fiducia, l'impegno politico. Lo stile è teatrale e del resto Khemiri è un drammaturgo. Samuel è una persona come potrebbero essercene tante, la trama non è nulla di particolarmente sorprendente, eppure io ormai un'idea di questo ragazzo ossessionato dalla sua pessima memoria ce l'ho ed è come se l'avessi davvero incontrato. Forse non ricorderò gli episodi, ma ricorderò Samuel e credo che mi mancherà un po'. Magari domani mi faccio dei noodles ai fiocchi di latte.
Samuel è morto, e questo lo sappiamo fin dal principio. Ed è praticamente l'unico dato di fatto del romanzo. A parte forse che Samuel e Vandad erano amici e che Samuel si è innamorato di Laide.
Tutto il resto...qualcuno ci ha detto che. Ma sarà davvero così? Dove finisce la realtà e comincia la percezione soggettiva? Che ritratto verrebbe fuori di noi stessi se a farlo fosse Tizio, o se fosse invece Caio? Quali fatti e quali aspetti resterebbero nella memoria dei nostri cari? E corrisponderebbero a quelli che avremmo raccontato noi stessi?
Sì, perché il romanzo è tutto costruito sugli ultimi mesi della vita di Samuel, raccontati però non da lui stesso (tranne pochissimi brani), né da un narratore onnisciente. Sono tutte interviste spezzettate e intermittenti rivolte a Vandad, a Laide, alla mamma, alla nonna, al vicino di casa. E sono interviste "pure", non mediate, non trascritte, come se fossimo lì nella stanza con loro e con lo scrittore che le raccoglie. Così le frasi e la narrazione si interrompono a furia di "no, questo non lo scrivere. Piuttosto scrivi così" e "Facciamo una pausa?". E così ognuno di loro racconta dei frammenti e la propria personale visione di Samuel e di quel che è accaduto. La verità, la realtà oggettiva, forse sta lì in mezzo, ma chi lo sa davvero. E lo scrittore (personaggio di finzione o Khemiri stesso?) contribuisce a questa confusione nelle ultime pagine del romanzo.
I temi toccati sono moltissimi: l'amore, l'amicizia, la memoria, l'immigrazione, la fiducia, l'impegno politico. Lo stile è teatrale e del resto Khemiri è un drammaturgo. Samuel è una persona come potrebbero essercene tante, la trama non è nulla di particolarmente sorprendente, eppure io ormai un'idea di questo ragazzo ossessionato dalla sua pessima memoria ce l'ho ed è come se l'avessi davvero incontrato. Forse non ricorderò gli episodi, ma ricorderò Samuel e credo che mi mancherà un po'. Magari domani mi faccio dei noodles ai fiocchi di latte.
melinaroy's review against another edition
5.0
Älskar älskar älskar. Så oerhört fängslande läsning, älskar hur boken är upplagd och jag känner mig helt matt nu när jag läst ut den. Alla tankar om minnen och kärlek och relationer och jag vet inte riktigt vad som är sant när jag lägger ifrån mig boken.
Lyssnade på Khemiri på bokmässan när denna boken var ny. Minns inte så mycket från samtalet men kan inte fatta att det tagit mig sju år att läsa den. Nu vill jag läsa allt han har skrivit.
Lyssnade på Khemiri på bokmässan när denna boken var ny. Minns inte så mycket från samtalet men kan inte fatta att det tagit mig sju år att läsa den. Nu vill jag läsa allt han har skrivit.
black_girl_reading's review against another edition
3.0
Jonas Hassen Khemiri’s Everything I Don’t Remember was written as a series of interviews with those most connected to Samuel, the book’s muse, whose tragic death is neither clearly an accident nor a suicide. About identity and how a person is seen through the eyes of those around them, this book highlights who Samuel was to those closet to him in contemporary Stockholm. I think that this book did a good job of highlighting racism in Sweden, the migrant crisis, the struggle between apathy and involvement for the disenfranchised, love, sexuality, family, aging, heartbreak, etc etc in the larger sense of these concepts. What I think the book was less successful at, and particularly the audiobook (surprisingly as it is supposed to be like a podcast?) was delineating Samuel from the other voices of people who knew him, in a way that wasn’t a bit simplistic or superficial. I don’t know what it was that made characters feel more like caricatures than individuals (maybe the translation) but I found it hard to get invested in the twisting mystery of who was telling the truth and who was lying and the grey area in between, as relationships were represented and misrepresented and blurred beyond clarity. I didn’t dislike this book, and I think it’s an important diversification of the Nordic crime drama, but I wasn’t all in it for this one.
arvonka's review against another edition
5.0
O deji niektorých kníh je pred ich čítaním lepšie nič nevedieť a toto je jedna z nich.
Je to vtipné, je to citlivé, je to zvláštne, je to výborne napísané a obsahuje to jednu nádhernú, prenádhernú pasáž o láske, jednu z najkrajších, aké som kedy čítala. Román však nie je len o láske, ale aj o priateľstve, o túžbe niečo po sebe zanechať v ľuďoch, niečo po sebe zanechať na svete. A o pamäti. A o zážitkoch. A ešte o mnohom ďalšom.
Na základe hodnotení na Goodreads dedukujem, že táto kniha nebude každému po chuti, mne ale sadla úplne a som Nadšená s veľkým N!
Je to vtipné, je to citlivé, je to zvláštne, je to výborne napísané a obsahuje to jednu nádhernú, prenádhernú pasáž o láske, jednu z najkrajších, aké som kedy čítala. Román však nie je len o láske, ale aj o priateľstve, o túžbe niečo po sebe zanechať v ľuďoch, niečo po sebe zanechať na svete. A o pamäti. A o zážitkoch. A ešte o mnohom ďalšom.
Na základe hodnotení na Goodreads dedukujem, že táto kniha nebude každému po chuti, mne ale sadla úplne a som Nadšená s veľkým N!
brookesbookstagram's review against another edition
2.0
2 1/2 stars.
I did this as an audiobook and I really struggled with the narrative. I wonder if reading it I would’ve been able to follow along easier, however reading other reviews it seems that each page is a different disjointed story and you’re not sure which friend/family member is writing a memory about Samuel.
I’m still confused by the book and really only enjoyed the last 3rd.
I did this as an audiobook and I really struggled with the narrative. I wonder if reading it I would’ve been able to follow along easier, however reading other reviews it seems that each page is a different disjointed story and you’re not sure which friend/family member is writing a memory about Samuel.
I’m still confused by the book and really only enjoyed the last 3rd.
kba76's review against another edition
3.0
This was a puzzling read, but thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.
Samuel, a young man, has been killed in a car crash. An unnamed writer interviews Samuel's friends and relatives to try and find out what happened. Was it a murder, suicide or a tragic accident?
The 'story' is very different in the way in which we learn about Samuel's life. We are given short sections told from someone's view-and it isn't always clear who is speaking. The voices do become quite distinctive, but you can't trust what they say as everyone remembers things differently.
Much lauded from what I can gather, but I didn't particularly feel anything for the characters so I felt rather distanced from it all.
Samuel, a young man, has been killed in a car crash. An unnamed writer interviews Samuel's friends and relatives to try and find out what happened. Was it a murder, suicide or a tragic accident?
The 'story' is very different in the way in which we learn about Samuel's life. We are given short sections told from someone's view-and it isn't always clear who is speaking. The voices do become quite distinctive, but you can't trust what they say as everyone remembers things differently.
Much lauded from what I can gather, but I didn't particularly feel anything for the characters so I felt rather distanced from it all.
shelfimprovement's review against another edition
4.0
Marketed as comparable to Serial, this Swedish novel examines the death of a young man named Samuel who was killed in a car crash. It’s not clear whether his death was an accident or suicide, and an unnamed writer intrigued by the story decides to interview people who knew Samuel to help shed light on if and why he might have wanted to end his own life.
The impressively structured book is set up almost as transcripts of interactions between the writer and his interview subjects, with each section alternating between two different points of view. It ostensibly follows many people in Samuel’s life, but it focuses primarily on Vandad—self-described as Samuel’s best friend—and Laide—the woman Samuel was in love with. Khemiri does little to help his reader keep track of who’s speaking—he doesn’t provide introductions to any of these characters and they’re often responding to questions from the writer that we aren’t privy to—and yet it’s remarkably easy to follow.
The title of the book comes from two places: one is that Samuel struggles with his long-term memory and is afraid that he was develop the same dementia as his grandmother. The other is that no one telling Samuel’s story seems to have the same memory of various events. Everything is filtered through their own lenses. Was Laide a jealous girlfriend who made Samuel feel small? Was Vandad taking advantage of Samuel’s kindness? Had Samuel ever gotten over his childhood sweetheart, a woman who insisted on being called Panther? This muddy-ing of the layers of the story as multiple perspectives are added is really and truly where Khemiri shines. If you’re looking for a crisp, clear narrative, you’re going to be disappointed. This one’s more about playing with form than conveying the story in a particularly clear fashion. It’s not for readers who dislike ambiguity.
I was fascinated, but this wasn’t a perfect book. I never really got a strong sense of who Samuel was, which I suppose was kind of the point, though it left me mildly frustrated. Samuel’s struggles with memory could have been more fully integrated into the big picture and there were some threads that were left dangling a little too much in the end. But, overall, I found this to be a gripping read.
The impressively structured book is set up almost as transcripts of interactions between the writer and his interview subjects, with each section alternating between two different points of view. It ostensibly follows many people in Samuel’s life, but it focuses primarily on Vandad—self-described as Samuel’s best friend—and Laide—the woman Samuel was in love with. Khemiri does little to help his reader keep track of who’s speaking—he doesn’t provide introductions to any of these characters and they’re often responding to questions from the writer that we aren’t privy to—and yet it’s remarkably easy to follow.
The title of the book comes from two places: one is that Samuel struggles with his long-term memory and is afraid that he was develop the same dementia as his grandmother. The other is that no one telling Samuel’s story seems to have the same memory of various events. Everything is filtered through their own lenses. Was Laide a jealous girlfriend who made Samuel feel small? Was Vandad taking advantage of Samuel’s kindness? Had Samuel ever gotten over his childhood sweetheart, a woman who insisted on being called Panther? This muddy-ing of the layers of the story as multiple perspectives are added is really and truly where Khemiri shines. If you’re looking for a crisp, clear narrative, you’re going to be disappointed. This one’s more about playing with form than conveying the story in a particularly clear fashion. It’s not for readers who dislike ambiguity.
I was fascinated, but this wasn’t a perfect book. I never really got a strong sense of who Samuel was, which I suppose was kind of the point, though it left me mildly frustrated. Samuel’s struggles with memory could have been more fully integrated into the big picture and there were some threads that were left dangling a little too much in the end. But, overall, I found this to be a gripping read.