Still Alice

Hey everyone!

Today's review is Still Alice by Lisa Genova.

This may be one of the most frightening novels you'll ever read. It's certainly one of the most unforgettable. Genova's debut revolves around Alice Howland - Harvard professor, gifted researcher and lecturer, wife,
and mother of three grown children. One day, Alice sets out for a run and soon realizes she has no idea how to find her way home. It's a route she has taken for years, but nothing looks familiar. She is utterly lost. Is her forgetfulness the result of menopausal symptoms? A ministroke? A neurological cancer? After a few doctors' appointments and medical tests, Alice has her diagnosis, and it's a shocker -- she has early-onset Alzheimer's disease. What follows is the story of Alice's slow but inevitable loss of memory and connection with reality, told from her perspective. She gradually loses the ability to follow a conversational thread, the story line of a book,
or to recall information she heard just moments before. To Genova's great credit, readers learn of the progression of Alice's disease through the reactions of others, as Alice does, so they feel what she feels -- a slowly building terror.

Almost there!
Boy in the Suitcase (The)
Under the Dome
Confessions of a Mask
K

Still Alice

This was very vocabulary heavy and psychology heavy, I had to look up at least one word a page because I was unfamiliar with the terminology. But oh did this book do so many things right! In the beginning you feel lost with Alice. You feel trapped. You're following her deterioration and feel like you're deteriorating yourself. I was so paranoid because I forget so much and as I was reading this book it felt like I was forgetting so much more than usual. It's so different when it's being told from the person who has Alzheimer's as opposed to family members who are just simply observing. You feel everything and it is such a beautiful read overall. But so very emotional. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

Happy (or sad) reading!
Mackenzie