The Only Words That Are Worth Remembering: A Novel - Hardcover

Jeffrey Rotter is the author of The Unknown Knowns, which was a New York Times Editor's Choice. His writing has appeared in The Oxford American, The New York Observer, McSweeney's, and elsewhere. He has assembled modular furnishings at NORAD, dressed up as Clifford the Big Red Dog for Texas school children, and written romance copy for flower-seed packets. He now resides in Brooklyn, New York, where he's edging ever closer to Green-Wood Cemetery and the eternal verdict of the earthworm.

“Compelling... A humbling monument to the sorrow, and the power, of loneliness... But it's not a dour book, by any stretch. Rowan's voice is as unique as it is charismatic, a rough hewn mix of Southern drawl and precious wonder. And there's a vein of humor that runs through his narrative, dry yet unmistakable.” ―NPR

“A dark comedy, a clever, funny satire on the way reality is distorted by time and willful ignorance... Rotter's second novel is just as funny as his first (The Unknown Knowns), and -- in our own age of populist challenges to science -- just as topical.” ―BookPage

“Using lush, sensory language, Jeffrey Rotter manages to make his futuristic tale feel vividly present. At its core lies something timeless: a family whose bonds and struggles are riveting and poignant.” ―Jennifer Egan, author of A Visit from the Goon Squad, author of A Visit from the Goon Squad

“Scary, hilarious, sweet, and forlorn. Jeffrey Rotter has fashioned a fresh take on the dystopian novel. The Only Words That Are Worth Remembering is full of strange worlds, mutated language, and genuine post-human, de-humanized human feeling.” ―Sam Lipsyte, author of The Ask

“Like Vonnegut at his most tender, like Portis at his funniest, Jeffrey Rotter twists society as we know it into wild balloon-animal shapes, ones in which we may just recognize ourselves. The Only Words That Are Worth Remembering would be heartbreaking -- even devastating -- if it weren't so damn much fun to read.” ―John Wray, author of Lowboy

“The Only Words That Are Worth Remembering is one very funny book. More than that, it clearly establishes Jeffrey Rotter's voice as a unique and necessary part of the 21st century.” ―Douglas Coupland, author of Worst. Person. Ever.

“Rotter's seemingly effortless ability to marry the heartbreakingly authentic with the totally crazy makes The Only Words That Are Worth Remembering a rare display of talent reminiscent of Kafka's work.” ―Etgar Keret, author of Suddenly, A Knock on the Door