The Definitions by Matt Greene
The Definitions by Matt Greene
English | 2025 | Science Fiction
An elegant and haunting dystopian novel about a group of individuals gathered to relearn how to navigate the world after a mysterious illness strips them of their memories. Nestled in an idyllic locale beside the sea, The Centre is a place of rehabilitation and rebuilding. Students arrive nameless, their memories and sense of identity wiped by a strange illness.
Each day, they attend classes that will help them relearn the right ways to speak and live; they practice the roles they’ll assume once they’ve graduated and returned to society. In their free time, they negotiate a burgeoning social hierarchy and watch old DVDs together; stories of characters whose names they adopt: Maria, Chandler, Chino, Gunther… But as shards of memories – of pets, lovers, errands, and beloved music – begin to threaten the strict curriculum of The Centre, some students start to question the definitions given to them, and explore the ways in which they might define themselves. A stunning, intimately told story about what makes us who we are.
