Emma Healey (2) (1985–)

Elizabeth is missing. Of that, octogenarian Maud is sure. Of other things Maud is far less certain, being a women suffering from dementia, and quite unable to manage living on her own. She leaves the stove on, buys tinned peaches daily so that the cabinet almost overflows with them, and writes herself endless notes on post-its so that she can remember all the parts of her life that become less and less comprehensible to her. The notes don't work. The only thing that Maud can hold onto is that Elizabeth is missing.

This is a wonderfully compassionate novel, which expertly delves into the mind of a woman with dementia, and which draws attention to the difficulties that the families of dementia-sufferers face. I don't know how Emma Healey was able to get inside the head of someone suffering with dementia, and I can only assume that she had close family with the disease. Lovingly told, with an entirely unexpected twist ending, this is a book that I loved, and which will remain a favourite of mine. I recommend it highly.… (more)

This is a who-dunnit without a single Detective Inspector or Super-Sleuth. Instead we have Maud,an octogenerian with an imperfect and unreliable memory. She worries about her friend Elizabeth, who seems to have disappeared, and she worries about her sister Sukey, who disappeared years ago. This is their story, and Maud's story. It's told with compassion and bravura. Maud's fragmented mind is never once condescended to. This is a tale with real depth, at once arresting,compelling and unusual. Read it.… (more)

Such a delighted character we have in Maude when she is young but especially when she is 80 and her memory is failing but she is determined to figure out where her friend Elizabeth is and what happened to her sister Sukey. But no one will listen to an old lady with dementia. Her long suffering daughter Helen, thankfully looks after her. There’s great humor in this novel, great empathy and it’s a great reminder to us all how a person with dementia can feel.
Novel moves from post war Britain to present.… (more)

Elizabeth is Missing as a whole was a very interesting book. At the same time, it's one of those books that can get emotionally draining after a while. I say this because my grandmother suffers from Alzheimer (which I assumed is what the protagonist suffers from) and throughout the book I caught glimpses of her which was painful sometimes.

However, the plot was very captivating and the authors does a good job of giving enough information to keep the reader interested. I will say this about the book, it's well worth the read. It's an unexpectedly enthralling book that constantly has you thinking about what happened, and what is going to happen.

I love that the author weaved in the past with the present, using trigger objects for the protagonist, making you wonder if the protagonist is verbally reciting everything that she is reliving, or if it simply being replayed in her memory.

Over all, I recommend this book to those who feel that they can take on an emotionally heavy book.… (more)