February 13, 2007

Remains of the Dude

“Remainder,” by Tom McCarthy

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a nice thirtysomething Englishman in possession of 8.5 million sterling must be in want of … um, a dramatic reenactment?

At least, such is the case for the amnesiac antihero of Remainder, the gripping debut novel by Brit Tom McCarthy.

The novel’s unnamed narrator has been the victim of a mysterious accident for which he receives a massive settlement.

Instead of jet-setting and bling-shopping, the boy becomes obsessed with authenticity and a strange memory fragment that he can’t place of an apartment building where he may have once lived. Along with a hired staff, he creates a full-scale model of his vision, complete with neighbors, scents, and sounds. But rather than providing closure, the work only fuels his fixation, and he’s driven to further reenactments, each more dangerous and difficult than the last.

Proving that truth is stranger than fiction.

Available online at amazon.com.