A genuine tour de force: compelling depiction of the breakdown of a mind and personality, skilful use of the ultimate in unreliable narrators (the narrator who is unreliable, even to herself).
This isn't an easy read. Dr. Jennifer White, once a respected orthopaedic surgeon, has been living with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's for some time, and her condition is deteriorating rapidly. If you are of a "certain age," and you ever misplace your keys, or forget a face, or grope for a familiar word, LaPlante's depiction of the slow slide into dementia is going to be scarier than any horror story written by Stephen King. LaPlante captures the powerlessness, the confusion and the terrible Groundhog Day of grief that Jennifer is suffering -- made all the more poignant by the "good days," when things are a bit clearer, and White sees all too clearly what she has lost.
Then there is the plot. Splintered and jumbled, LaPlante makes clever use of repetition, and the layering of detail to allow the reader to build up, page by page, their own theory of who killed and mutilated Amanda, White's neighbor and friend. I think it's a testimony to LaPlante's skill as a writer that the solution to the mystery felt satisfying , as all the threads of the puzzle were drawn together, but didn't cheapen the real tragedy of all that was happening to Jennifer White by reducing it to a Cluedo-style solution. The solution to what happened to Amanda, and why, is there in the text, if you're paying attention, artlessly -- or not-so-artlessly -- revealed in Jennifer's imperfect memories as they circle around her deteriorating mind.
This isn't an easy read. Dr. Jennifer White, once a respected orthopaedic surgeon, has been living with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's for some time, and her condition is deteriorating rapidly. If you are of a "certain age," and you ever misplace your keys, or forget a face, or grope for a familiar word, LaPlante's depiction of the slow slide into dementia is going to be scarier than any horror story written by Stephen King. LaPlante captures the powerlessness, the confusion and the terrible Groundhog Day of grief that Jennifer is suffering -- made all the more poignant by the "good days," when things are a bit clearer, and White sees all too clearly what she has lost.
Then there is the plot. Splintered and jumbled, LaPlante makes clever use of repetition, and the layering of detail to allow the reader to build up, page by page, their own theory of who killed and mutilated Amanda, White's neighbor and friend. I think it's a testimony to LaPlante's skill as a writer that the solution to the mystery felt satisfying , as all the threads of the puzzle were drawn together, but didn't cheapen the real tragedy of all that was happening to Jennifer White by reducing it to a Cluedo-style solution. The solution to what happened to Amanda, and why, is there in the text, if you're paying attention, artlessly -- or not-so-artlessly -- revealed in Jennifer's imperfect memories as they circle around her deteriorating mind.
Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details
