The Rememberer is the first short story of Aimee Bender published in Missouri Review in 1997. The story revolves around the day to day emotional experiences of Annie and Ben. Ben is under the state of reverse evolution, lacking the ability of self-awareness and responsiveness. The genre of the story is full of sorrow, feeling of dejection, pain, and sadness. Annie feels tiredness, helplessness, and emotional breakdown of human relationships. Though the story is beyond reality, similar emotional feelings can be experienced by the relatives of the patients of dementia or Alzheimer’s. The ideas of mutual human relationships, setting up of the memories, and obligations for a loved one have been reflected in the story. In the story, Annie is solely responsible for taking care of Ben in this condition.
Annie is the protagonist of the story and the story is written in the first person's viewpoint. The plot of the story is chronological. Ben is under reverse evolution from Man to Ape to sea Turtle to Salamander at last. Ben is living millions of years within a single day according to Annie. One night, Ben explains Annie about the inverse relationship between the increasing ability of the brain and the diminishing empathetic attitude towards others of humans. Ben desired to sleep outside on the same evening. The next morning, he has converted into an Ape. Annie had a belief that the condition of Ben would be momentary.
However, when Ben has converted into Salamander from Turtle, Annie gave up his belief and left him into the sea because she didn't want to see him disappeared. Then, She has taken up the responsibility to collect every memory of him. He has played the responsibility of a rememberer because of his disappearance.
