When 15-year-old Elly Fox figures out his mom is losing her memory, everything in his life changes. Failing to snap her out of denial, he goes on a quest, hoping to find the cause of her memory loss before it's too late. Along the way he falls under the influence of a charismatic memory guru and risks losing his best friend, all while navigating his gender identity, his suddenly shifting moral compass, and his sophomore year of high school.

Set in Portland, Oregon during the late-2000s financial crisis, How to Forget Almost Everything is an introspective coming-of-age story and an off-kilter adventure populated by bus transfer slips, small-town diners, a secret concrete block, and a former child chess prodigy.