Elizabeth Is Missing by Emma Healey

I picked this one up because I had heard that it had an unreliable narrator. I think I had heard about it on Jen Campbell's booktube channel. I might be wrong, but I can't think of anyone else who might have spoken about it.

Maud is in her eighties. She is suffering from Alzheimer's. Her friend Elizabeth is missing though, and she is determined to find out where she is.

This one had an interesting plot, but I can't say that there was anything that happened that I didn't see coming. Maybe it was because the focus of the story was more on the narrator, perhaps it is because I have read crime books since I could read, or perhaps it actually was very predictable, but I figured everything out very early into the book. Unfortunately, I am not in a position to say which of the three it was.

So you know how people say that books should change how you think? I can't say that this one necessarily did that, but, if you want a very personal response on this book, carry on reading. If you would like to continue seeing me in a more positive light, perhaps you should stop here.

Maud provided an interesting perspective to read from. You are welcome to send the hate here, but I find old people nothing but difficult in real life, because that is my real life (when I am not at work). My grandmother is 93 and suffering from dementia and all sorts of frailties. My heart bled for Maud's daughter in this story because, even though she did not come across as the kindest of people, I KNOW that that poor women is giving everything she has. Dealing with this is not easy.

Perhaps I should have considered my own situation before picking up this book. It really gave me some contradictory feelings. For instance, I enjoyed Maud. I enjoyed her plight, and I loved her memories of the past. She was an interesting character and a really interesting narrator, because you could tell that huge chunks were missing where she had forgotten things. But... I couldn't like her. Although her point of view was 'beautified' because you could see the reasoning behind her actions, I could not get past everyone else in her life.  Maud's daughter came across as unsympathetic and mean, and I felt that was unfair. Granted, if you read between the lines you could see that Maud was not easy to live with, but at the same time, it was only by reading between the lines that you could see what the daughter gave up and put up with, looking after her mother. That is how I see my life and my mom's life. It is only when you look at things closely that it becomes evident what sacrifices we both make for my grandmother. Everything revolves around her: diet, meal times, bed times, appointments, you name it. I could carry on, but this review is about Elizabeth is Missing and not the trials and tribulations of my life.

Perhaps this book has given me more understanding of my grandmother. Perhaps it has just added to the guilt I feel because at some point, one has to actually draw the line and say 'no'. One way or another, this book has given me a lot to think about.

This book earned 4 generous stars from me. It was better than 3, but I am not sure if it was completely worth 4.

It is also the 60th book I have read for the 2015 TBR Pile Reading challenge.