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erasmios's review
3.0
Maud's best friend Elizabeth is missing. Healey's first novel is a well-written little mystery about an elderly lady's missing friend. Maud starts to "investigate" her friend's disappearance, but she has one big problem. She's suffering from severe dementia. Aided by the pieces of her memories and small dateless notes in her pocket and purse she tries her best to find Elizabeth. The novel was very captivating. Maud's inner struggles with her dementia are written very convincingly. To others, she seems like a "mad old woman" but the reader knows how her past gets mixed with the present and how her demented logic works. She's not mad, just confused, living in two worlds at once. And Elizabeth's not the only person to go missing; Maud's sister also disappeared 70 years earlier. From the beginning, I was reading Elizabeth Is Missing as a crime novel, and that lead me to be a little underwhelmed by the ending. There were no big surprises. Don't expect Christie-like twists here. It's not that kind of story.
kyra_c_c's review against another edition
5.0
Maud is one of the most unreliable but engaging narrators I have read for a long time. I really enjoyed this - perfect mix of poignant and funny. I really felt for Maud and her family and was desperate to get to the heart of both mysteries.
astoriareader's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
SYNOPSIS
- Maud is elderly & has dementia, which continues to worsen over time. She forgets where she is going, where she is, whether she has eaten, and more. Her daughter, Helen, takes care of her.
- Maud writes herself notes as reminders. She constantly tries to focus on whether her best friend, Elizabeth, is missing.
- At times, Maud recalls her childhood, where her sister, Sukey, also disappeared in 1946.
MY THOUGHTS
- So beautifully written. Very unique premise.
- Loved how these stories flow together. Maud seamlessly brought back to memories of her sister’s disappearance, and the two time lines alternate in the story.
- Excellent character development.
- I couldn’t put it down. I was really invested in tying up all the loose ends.
- Impressive execution, masterful story telling.
TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️very unique premise. loved the execution and character development.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia and Murder
Moderate: Grief and Death
heaney4's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
aliciablack's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
bumblyduck's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
bookyplantylady's review
Found it difficult to read, and found the main character having dementia quite upsetting
kayhanpep's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
316bunny316's review against another edition
4.0
The book sets everything up wonderfully and it comes to a brilliant crescendo at the end
steppingthroughpages's review
4.0
Elizabeth is missing is a thought provoking read, a view into the life of a 70year old women with dementia. Also into the world around her and how she processes the things we find simple and mundane. Not only that but she is living with a weight of the past and an unsolved mystery.