Elizabeth Is Missing

By: Emma Healey

Narrated by: Davina Porter

Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

In this darkly riveting debut novel - a sophisticated psychological mystery that is also a heartbreakingly honest meditation on memory, identity, and aging - an elderly woman descending into dementia embarks on a desperate quest to find the best friend she believes has disappeared, and her search for the truth will go back decades and have shattering consequences.

Maud, an aging grandmother, is slowly losing her memory - and her grip on everyday life. Yet she refuses to forget her best friend, Elizabeth, whom she is convinced is missing and in terrible danger.

But no one will listen to Maud - not her frustrated daughter, Helen, not her caretakers, not the police, and especially not Elizabeth’s mercurial son, Peter. Armed with handwritten notes she leaves for herself and an overwhelming feeling that Elizabeth needs her help, Maud resolves to discover the truth and save her beloved friend.

This singular obsession forms a cornerstone of Maud’s rapidly dissolving present. But the clues she discovers seem only to lead her deeper into her past, to another unsolved disappearance: her sister, Sukey, who vanished shortly after World War II.

As vivid memories of a tragedy that occurred more 50 years ago come flooding back, Maud discovers new momentum in her search for her friend. Could the mystery of Sukey’s disappearance hold the key to finding Elizabeth?

©2014 Emma Healey (P)2014 HarperCollinsPublishers

Sweet, sad and intriguing

I don't know if this is what it's really like to have Alzheimer's, but it's a very good guess.
The author does a wonderful job of weaving past and present mysteries together. And Davina Porter is marvellous, as usual.

Lovely, sad book

Especially appreciated the interwoven arc of the two stories. Loved Maud's voice and point of view. Great narration.

Decent storyline

I don’t feel like this is a mystery really. More the story of dementia. And although the author does a tremendous job bringing the disease to life, I feel too much of the story is about that. The performance was spot on. The narrator does an amazing job becoming all of the characters which is critical. Seeing how the story bounces around so much between past and present.

Excellent portrait of the dementia afflicted

My mother suffered with dementia. Understand what sorrow and confusion comes from this disease. The book portrays both views and gives a better understanding of the mental struggle of the afflicted.

So good!

First, Davina Porter is, by far, my favorite narrator ever. Her ability to encompass different characters with her voice is especially important in this story where the main character's thoughts bounce around in time. The story itself was so much better than I could have imagined, but the telling of it, from the mind of a person with dementia was absolutely profound. I could imagine this book could be triggering for anyone who has had a loved one with advanced dementia, but I found it to be shared with such a heartfelt genuineness that my heart went out to everyone in her life. It was very honest seeing how each person related differently to her redundant statements, questions, and confusion. Truly a captivating story and very different from anything else I've read.

Loss is a hard thing

There comes a time that people you love get old and their memory isn't what it used to be. Because of that I wondered if I would finish the story. If that is how memory gets as a person ages, things are going to get difficult for everyone.

It is very well performed and believable. I was relieved some clarity came at the end. The way it bounced around from past, present, sister, and friend could get a bit confusing but sorted itself out eventually. Try not to read this in a hurry. It is worth it to finish.

Sad and wonderful

That someone could capture the confusion of dementia with such insight and compassion is surprising and very moving. The added mystery made this more than a book about someone descending into madness.

This is an amazing book, performed beautifully.

Seriously I can’t think of a harder first-person narrative challenge than a person with dementia. The author and reader were up to the challenge!

Too long

I liked the story but felt it could have been shortened by a third. Maud’s character was well portrayed with dementia but it was so prolonged. She kept doing the same things like getting lost, forgetting, and getting events muddled in her mind. The reader gets it but could we not have figured out Sookies murder sooner?

Fantastic

The best book I've read this year. Great story, well written and masterfully narrated. Simply phenomenal. Don't miss out on this one! #Clever #Heartfelt #Suspenseful #Tearjerker #FemaleProtagonist #tagsgiving #sweepstakes