HOW TO BE REMEMBERED

Over the course of decades, a child—then young adult, then man—figures out how to live and succeed when the universe erases his existence each year on his birthday.

The world around Tommy Llewellyn resets on his birthday every year: All his possessions disappear, no one remembers him, and his presence in every memory, story, and photo is erased. The first time it happens, his doting parents wake up the morning of his first birthday confused as to why an infant is sleeping in a crib in their living room. And the Reset, as Tommy eventually calls it to himself, continues every Jan. 5 from then on. Author Thompson has written a story that follows Tommy through his life—17 years in foster care at Milkwood House, dubbed the Dairy, and then through his 20s and into his 30s. Rather than being a story of hopelessness, however, it's a tale of resilience and how Tommy figures out how to survive from year to year when his best friends forget him like clockwork. Even Miss Michelle—the generous, kind, loving woman who raises him—and Carey Price, the girl he falls in love with at the Dairy and whose life he saves, forget he even exists when Jan. 5 rolls around. This quirky story doesn’t offer an explanation of why this happens, but it's enthralling to watch how Tommy evolves through the years as he comes to terms with his situation, the setbacks it creates, and ultimately how he can work within the system to create the family that he wants.

A story of optimism in the face of one of the hardest things to overcome: an existence where no one knows you exist.