Remainder by Tom McCarthy
After a traumatic accident leaves him with a large settlement and no memory of his past, the protagonist becomes obsessed with reenacting and reconstructing fragments of memories and events that he can't fully remember. He uses his newfound wealth to recreate these scenes in exact detail, hiring actors and building sets, in a desperate attempt to regain a sense of authenticity and reality. As his obsession escalates, the boundary between the recreated experiences and actual reality begins to blur, leading to a shocking climax.
The 4299th greatest book of all time
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Total Points: 74
This book was first published in 2005
3 Lists
- score: 61 -- The 100 Greatest British Novels - 2015 (Weight: 160)
- score: 11 -- What the New York Times Missed: 71 More of the Best Books of the 21st Century - 2024 (Weight: 22)
- score: 1 -- Potter, Pi, and Pilgrim: What any library of the aughts ought to contain (Best not from Canada) - 2010 (Weight: 1)