Elizabeth Is Missing
Ratings48
Average rating3.6
“Elizabeth is Missing” came up on one of the trillion best-of-2014-book lists I've reviewed in the last few weeks and sounded interesting. Christmas got in the way of reading this one straight through, and, upon completion, I'd say I agree with whichever list recommended the book!
Emma Healey paints Maud beautifully, both as a young girl and as a elderly woman spiraling into dementia. It's not just Maud that is nuanced and living; the other characters in the book are also well-rendered. Post-WW2 English life also felt spot-on based on family stories, which makes me wonder whether the author incorporated real events into the novel. Although Maud's present isn't as vivid as her childhood in 1946, the depiction felt accurate; the current-day lens is mostly through a woman living alone (with her daughter and carers sprinkling in) whose short-term memory is severely hampered. I couldn't help but cheer Maud's tenacity in the face of confusing information coming from both internal and external forces.
After finishing the book a few minutes ago, I could not help but be impressed by the authors handiwork in her first published novel. What might have been ham-fisted in other hands was elegant in Ms. Healey's.
Although the plot is quite different, readers who enjoyed “Elizabeth is Missing” may enjoy “Turn of Mind” by Alice LaPlante. Another reviewer recommended “The Night Guest” by Fiona McFarlane, which I've not read, but does sound compelling.
“Elizabeth is Missing” came up on one of the trillion best-of-2014-book lists I've reviewed in the last few weeks and sounded interesting. Christmas got in the way of reading this one straight through, and, upon completion, I'd say I agree with whichever list recommended the book!
Emma Healey paints Maud beautifully, both as a young girl and as a elderly woman spiraling into dementia. It's not just Maud that is nuanced and living; the other characters in the book are also well-rendered. Post-WW2 English life also felt spot-on based on family stories, which makes me wonder whether the author incorporated real events into the novel. Although Maud's present isn't as vivid as her childhood in 1946, the depiction felt accurate; the current-day lens is mostly through a woman living alone (with her daughter and carers sprinkling in) whose short-term memory is severely hampered. I couldn't help but cheer Maud's tenacity in the face of confusing information coming from both internal and external forces.
After finishing the book a few minutes ago, I could not help but be impressed by the authors handiwork in her first published novel. What might have been ham-fisted in other hands was elegant in Ms. Healey's.
Although the plot is quite different, readers who enjoyed “Elizabeth is Missing” may enjoy “Turn of Mind” by Alice LaPlante. Another reviewer recommended “The Night Guest” by Fiona McFarlane, which I've not read, but does sound compelling.