Review: Elizabeth Is Missing

Elizabeth is Missing

by Emma Healey

Why did you choose this book? the synopsis intrigued me

When did you read this book? June 2014

Who should read this book? readers who don’t mind a difficult topic with a bit of sadness

Source: TLC Book Tours

Here is a synopsis of Elizabeth is Missing from TLC Book TOURS

In this darkly riveting debut novel, a sophisticated psychological mystery, one woman will stop at nothing to find her best friend, who seems to have gone missing. . . .

Despite Maud’s growing anxiety about Elizabeth’s welfare, no one takes her concerns seriously—not her frustrated daughter, not her caretakers, not the police, and especially not Elizabeth’s mercurial son—because Maud suffers from dementia. But even as her memory disintegrates and she becomes increasingly dependent on the trail of handwritten notes she leaves for herself in her pockets and around her house, Maud cannot forget her best friend. Armed with only an overwhelming feeling that Elizabeth needs her help, Maud resolves to discover the truth—no matter what it takes.

As this singular obsession forms a cornerstone of Maud’s rapidly dissolving present, the clues she uncovers lead her deeper into her past, to another unsolved disappearance: that of her sister, Sukey, who vanished shortly after World War II. As vivid memories of a tragedy that occurred more than fifty years ago come flooding back, Maud’s search for Elizabeth develops a frantic momentum. Whom can she trust? Can she trust herself?

A page-turning novel of suspense, Elizabeth Is Missing also hauntingly reminds us that we are all at the mercy of our memory. Always compelling, often poignant, and at times even blackly witty, this is an absolutely unforgettable novel.

My Review

Wow! This is an amazing book! Maud is an elderly woman with dementia, who is convinced her friend has disappeared… and no one believes her! The writing is magnificent! Though it is not possible to know exactly the thought process of a person suffering from dementia, I think it must be very much like the author describes. It feels so authentic; we can feel Maud’s confusion and panic as she loses her train of thought, the embarrassment when she forgets a word, and the anger when everyone treats her as a child. And anyone who has had experience with an Alzheimer’s patient will relate to the frustration Maud’s daughter, Helen, feels when she has to continuously answer the same questions, and to redirect her mother’s behavior. It is this realism that also makes the book so difficult to read.

As we read, we not only see how Maud’s dementia becomes progressively worse, but we also relive her past. Almost seventy years ago, Maude’s older sister just disappeared without a trace, and the mystery was never solved. As Maude’s memories become jumbled, she is no longer sure what she remembers of her sister’s disappearance and what she remembers of Elizabeth’s disappearance! Of course with dementia as the subject, there is not a completely happy ending, but this is a book well worth reading, both for individual readers and as a book club selection. It is hard to put down once you get started!

About Emma Healey

Emma Healey holds a degree in bookbinding and an MA in creative writing. Elizabeth Is Missing is her first novel. She lives in the UK.

Find out more about Emma at her website and connect with her on Twitter and Facebook.

My Rating:  ★★★1/2   3-1/2 Stars

This book review is included in a tour by TLC Book Tours. I received a copy of the book in return for an honest review, which you can read above.

Emma’s Tour Stops

Tuesday, June 10th: Anita Loves Books

Thursday, June 12th: Doing Dewey

Monday, June 16th: No More Grumpy Bookseller

Tuesday, June 17th: Always With a Book

Wednesday, June 18th: Peeking Between the Pages

Thursday, June 19th: From the TBR Pile

Monday, June 23rd: Kahakai Kitchen

Tuesday, June 24th: A Bookworm’s World

Wednesday, June 25th: Ace and Hoser Blook

Thursday, June 26th: BoundbyWords

Monday, June 30th: Book-alicious Mama

Tuesday, July 1st: Time 2 Read

Wednesday, July 2nd: Tina’s Book Reviews

Thursday, July 3rd: Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Monday, July 7th: Tales of a Book Addict

Tuesday, July 8th: Literally Jen

Thursday, July 10th: 5 Minutes For Books

Tuesday Memes: Elizabeth is Missing

Every Tuesday Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea hosts First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, where you can share the first paragraph, or a few, of a book you are reading or thinking about reading soon.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Today I am spotlighting Elizabeth Is Missing by Emma Healey

A mystery, an unsolved crime and one of the most unforgettable characters since Mark Haddon's Christopher. Meet Maud ...

'Elizabeth is missing' reads the note in Maud's pocket in her own handwriting, and the one on the wall.

Maud's been getting forgetful. She keeps buying peach slices when she has a cupboard full, forgets to drink the cups of tea she's made and writes notes to remind herself of things. But Maud is determined to discover what has happened to her friend, Elizabeth, and what it has to do with the unsolved disappearance of her sister Sukey, years back, just after the war.

A fast-paced mystery, an unforgettable voice: you will laugh and cry but you'll never forget Maud.

Opening Paragraph

  Maud? Was I boring you so much that you’d rather stand outside in the dark?”

  A woman calls to me from the warm light of a cluttered dining room. My breath curls towards her, wet and ghostly, but no words follow. The snow, sparse but bright on the ground, reflects the light on to her face, with is drawn tight in an attempt to see. I know, though, that she can’t see very well, even in the daylight.

  “Come inside,” she says. “It’s freezing. I promise I won’t say another word about frogs and snails and majolica ware.”

  “I wasn’t bored,” I say, realizing too late that she’s joking. I’ll be there in a minute. I’m just looking for something.” In my hand is the thing I’ve already found, still clotted with mud. A small thing, easily missed. The broken lid of an old compact, its silver tarnished, its navy-blue enamel no longer glassy but scratched and dull. The mildewed mirror is like a window on a faded world, like a porthole looking out under the ocean. It makes me squirm with memories.  

My Teaser

    You know there was an old woman mugged around here?” Carla says, letting her long, black ponytail snake over one shoulder. “Well, actually, it was Weymouth, but it could have been here.”

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So...what do you think? Is this one you would pick up? Leave a comment below!