Review: Remember Me Like This
The past was a bridge that looked solid and sturdy, but once you were on it, you saw that it extended only far enough to strand you, to suspend you between loss and longing with nowhere to go at all.
I’m a huge fan of southern literature, but I have to be honest. I haven’t read as many Texan authors as I probably should have. You know, being from Texas and all. But if you’re only going to choose one Texan author to read, it needs to be Bret Anthony Johnston. Remember Me Like This
Four years ago, Justin Campbell disappeared from his small town of Southport, Texas, near Corpus Christi. No one knows what happened, but his family (mom, dad, brother, and grandpa) haven’t quite given up hope. One afternoon, the impossible miracle everyone had been hoping for happens: someone spots Justin, calls the police, and he is finally returned home. But what happens after an abducted child is found? Can his family ever really go back to normal? How can they all, including Justin, find their new places in life and in their family? As they struggle to re-build, the Texas heat weighing on them, the Campbell family must keep their bonds strong before everything falls apart.
What an amazing story. This is no clichéd “ripped from the headlines” kidnapping horror story. Remember Me Like This focuses on the family dynamic, and how it changes, in the absence and then return of a beloved son. The plot is interesting and engaging, and the characters are so fully-developed you’ll feel like you’re a watching a movie within the words. The city of Corpus Christi also takes on a life of its own, and should be considered a character as well.
This is truly a beautifully-written book, and a story that will leave you thinking about it for days after. Johnston is first and foremost a storyteller, and that is more than clear in this achievement of a novel. You will absolutely not regret reading this story, and adding it to the collection of favorites on your bookshelves.
EXTRA!
While this book does involve the kidnapping of a child, that aspect is never explored in detail. We know he was kidnapped, and we can guess as to what happened, but those details are left out. This is not a gruesome story-it focuses on what happens AFTER a terrible event, and how one family tries to pick up the pieces.