"I want you to know: I use it only to remember." Young, well-spoken, and educated, Valentina Sorenson is the perfect candidate to lead the defense of mnemoin, the illegal narcotic that unlocks its users' deepest memories and leaves them brighter and better than before. But when an overwhelming show of support for Valentina's decriminalization campaign meets with strong arguments from her opposition, she must drive herself deeper into the memories she thought she'd left behind, and risk slipping further into her own addiction. A dealer with his own demons struggles to hold on to the one person who eases his pain even at the cost of his own code of ethics, while a girl called Saint fights to carry on in spite of her own failing hopes and growing disillusionment. In a city divided by pain and the drugs its citizens use to escape it, some step forward to fight for their salvation, while others fear the harrowing effects of the mysterious narcotic, but all are hurdling toward a dangerous ending from which no one will emerge the same, and some will, indeed, be irretrievable. The Irretrievable Lives delivers sharp twists and explores the perceptions we carry and measures we take to escape from ourselves. The lines between truth and perception all but disappear until what remains is an unforgettable conclusion that will leave you wondering: are we only the sum of our memories?