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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
asourceoffiction's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I committed the cardinal sin of watching the film before reading the book with Elizabeth is Missing. Both are beautiful, but I'm sure knowing how things ended up skewed my perspective on a lot of the story. It didn't diminish how clever the writing is, or how sensitively Maud is portrayed in the book.
The flashbacks are so vividly described, as Maud's present becomes increasingly blurry. You can see her timelines begin to merge as her disease progresses, and it's heartbreaking to feel so helpless for her. This has strong Three Things About Elsie vibes, but it feels like there less humour to be found here.
The characters and the mysteries posed throughout are utterly engaging but this really wrenches at the heart strings. There is love, and even hope, scattered throughout, but ultimately you know poor Maud is trapped.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia and Grief
Moderate: Murder
reeharp's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Murder
kiwialexa's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Dementia, and Grief
silver_valkyrie_reads's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This book is not a thriller. I expect thrillers to be stressful in a way that's tense, and, well... thrilling. This book is stressful in a vaguely uncomfortable sort of way, like making eye contact with a stranger in the produce department and then trying not to meet them again in every aisle for the rest of the store.
I did really enjoy how the writing incorporated the narrator's increasing dementia, leaving us wondering a bit along with the narrator what was really going on, but providing enough context clues to keep the readers from being totally lost. And of course, I always appreciate the experience of being inside the head of someone whose brain works differently from mine. I wish this book had been edited and marketed as more of literary mystery, because I think I could have enjoyed the story a lot more without the false attempt to 'thrill' me.
I did really enjoy how the writing incorporated the narrator's increasing dementia, leaving us wondering a bit along with the narrator what was really going on, but providing enough context clues to keep the readers from being totally lost. And of course, I always appreciate the experience of being inside the head of someone whose brain works differently from mine. I wish this book had been edited and marketed as more of literary mystery, because I think I could have enjoyed the story a lot more without the false attempt to 'thrill' me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia
Moderate: Death and Grief
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
chucksbooks_'s review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia
Moderate: Grief, Murder, and Medical content
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