Maud, 82 and suffering from dementia, is overwrought that her friend, Elizabeth, is missing. Or maybe not, she can't really remember. She has notes in her pockets and in her purse; some tell her Elizabeth is missing and others say definitely not. If only she could remember. And try she does, but as she tries to make sense of Elizabeth's disappearance, memories flood back of another disappearance, this of her older sister Sukey who simply vanished in 1946. As Maud's dementia worsens and she spins further and further from reality, she begins to puzzle back together the details of her sister's disappearance, making startling discoveries from a distance of 70 years.
I have to say: Wow, I loved this book! Emma Healey's Elizabeth Is Missing is one of the most fascinating, amazing, well-constructed novels I have read this year. Often, parallel narratives can fall apart, but this one simply gets better as the book progresses. What's more, this is a stunning, poignant look at aging and dementia. The reader can feel the losses and confusion mount around Maud and her daughter Helen, whom Maud is often unable to recognize. Healey creates a genuine portrait of a woman falling away from the world and, frankly, Elizabeth Is Missing is all the more terrifying for being so. (I couldn't help but think - repeatedly - how very much I did not want to end up like Maud, missing sister and friend aside.)
The bottom line: I read this entire book in less than 48 hours. It is simply wonderful. I cannot recommend it enough.
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