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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
Engrossing, enjoyable and artful story. The writing was sublime and so beautifully structured, like ivy growing up and around old iron lace work. Enjoyed the "whodunnit", I kept leaping for character to character...I thought, as the writer probably intended, that it was one character, only to be duped at the end (though I had a tiny inkling of what might have happened, or perhaps I just say that with the benefit of hindsight). Loved the book, loved the mystery and intrigue of the Alzheimers brain. 4 stars.
Nice idea. The confused jumbled timeline and lucidity really work well. No chapter as such which again helps this structure.
I struggled to engage with the book despite the emotive topic so it was a bit of a trudge to the finish.
I struggled to engage with the book despite the emotive topic so it was a bit of a trudge to the finish.
I liked the writing where you could see her decline. It made everything seem real. The ups and downs, clearness and confusion was a plus to the story. At some points though I found it hard to tell who was speaking but that could have just been me. Very good story.
The solid, crystalline, honest, and evocative writing that Alice LaPlante gives us, particularly her narrative from the main character's perspective is so unlike things I've read before and is so strong that I forgive her the weaknesses that otherwise I'd have found nagging at me.
Dr. Jennifer White is vividly drawn, full of intelligence and self-awareness (even with the dementia) and I was engaged with her immediately, drawn in completely. I enjoyed all the detail of her surgical knowledge and background.
The weaknesses had to do with the motive for the crime (not very well explained and didn't seem a compelling motive) and the relationship between Dr. White and her neighbor Amanda, our murder victim. I found it difficult to understand how the two women would maintain a friendship when it was full of treachery and when Amanda was so bitter and petty. It just didn't ring true, reminded me vaguely of fre-nemies one might have in high school... but I don't know adults who willingly engage in this kind of most-loved-also-hated other.
However, it was fairly easy to let go of that objection and enjoy the masterful telling of Dr. White's dementia progression. And I'd be the first to say "Oh spare me" if someone suggested that I'd be delighted by a novel focusing on the loss of one's senses. But that's what's so remarkable. The expression of those changes are the pearl in this oyster, much to my surprise.
Dr. Jennifer White is vividly drawn, full of intelligence and self-awareness (even with the dementia) and I was engaged with her immediately, drawn in completely. I enjoyed all the detail of her surgical knowledge and background.
The weaknesses had to do with the motive for the crime (not very well explained and didn't seem a compelling motive) and the relationship between Dr. White and her neighbor Amanda, our murder victim. I found it difficult to understand how the two women would maintain a friendship when it was full of treachery and when Amanda was so bitter and petty. It just didn't ring true, reminded me vaguely of fre-nemies one might have in high school... but I don't know adults who willingly engage in this kind of most-loved-also-hated other.
However, it was fairly easy to let go of that objection and enjoy the masterful telling of Dr. White's dementia progression. And I'd be the first to say "Oh spare me" if someone suggested that I'd be delighted by a novel focusing on the loss of one's senses. But that's what's so remarkable. The expression of those changes are the pearl in this oyster, much to my surprise.
A difficult mystery for me to read: I found that the narrative (told from the point of view of the patient with Alzheimers) induced feelings of claustrophobia and I had to set it down several times for a change in pace and I found almost all of the characters unlikable, which always makes it difficult for me to keep plugging through. However, I found the concept inventive, the change in the narration from 1st to 2nd to 3rd person to be an interesting device, and the descent into dementia terrifying.
This book really helped me understand my mother's state of mind, as she battles the end stages of Alzheimer's.
If you've ever been frustrated about anything that someone else does, ever thought "what were you thinking?!?!?" in response to someone else's actions, you should read this book. The story was good, but the writing was great.
Strange and hard to follow- through the wandering mind of a patient with dementia. I expected more twists and turns for a mystery but the story left me disappointed.