An elegant and haunting dystopian novel about individuals relearning how to navigate the world after a mysterious illness strips them of their memories

Nestled in an idyllic locale beside the sea, the Center 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 videos together, stories of characters whose names they adopt: Maria, Chino,Ross, Chandler, Gunther . . . But as shards of memories—of pets, lovers, errands, and beloved music—begin to threaten the strict curriculum of the Center, some students start to question the definitions given to them, and explore different ways in which they might define themselves.

A stunning, intimately told story about what makes us who we are, The Definitions examines the limits of language, the power of human connection, and how the human spirit can flourish even under the most oppressive conditions.