Elizabeth is Missing
As seen:
By Emma Healey
avg rating
9 reviews
THE BOOK THAT INSPIRED THE MAJOR BBC DRAMA STARRING BAFTA AWARD-WINNING ACTRESS GLENDA JACKSON
How do you solve a mystery when you can’t remember the clues?
Maud is forgetful. She makes a cup of tea and doesn’t remember to drink it. She goes to the shops and forgets why she went. Sometimes her home is unrecognizable – or her daughter Helen seems a total stranger.
But there’s one thing Maud is sure of: her friend Elizabeth is missing. The note in her pocket tells her so. And no matter who tells her to stop going on about it, to leave it alone, to shut up, Maud will get to the bottom of it.
Because somewhere in Maud’s damaged mind lies the answer to an unsolved seventy-year-old mystery. One everyone has forgotten about.
Everyone, except Maud . . .
‘A thrillingly assured, haunting and unsettling novel, I read it at a gulp’ Deborah Moggach, author of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
‘Elizabeth Is Missing will stir and shake you: the most likeably unreliable of narrators, real mystery at its compassionate core…’ Emma Donoghue, author of Room
‘Resembling a version of Memento written by Alan Bennett’ Daily Telegraph
‘One of those mythical beasts, the book you cannot put down’ Jonathan Coe, author of The Rotters Club
‘Every bit as compelling as the frenzied hype suggests. Gripping, haunting’ Observer
TweetReviews
St Just Thursday Evening Reading Group 5th March 2020.
Elizabeth is missing. Emma Healey.
The majority of the reading group thought this was a wonderful book – an insight into dementia, cleverly handled; a good plot and sufficient black humour to lift it out of being tragic; inspired period touches; the characters convincing; and a ' strange and brilliant reading experience'. Only one reader did not like it, finding it to have an overwhelming amount of detail and too much description.
We discussed various aspects of the plot: how Maud's tendency to pick things up and hoard them led into the elements of the story from the past; how the nastiness of Peter, which was continuously referred to, led him to appear as a suspect; and how the detailed descriptions of trivia were possibly deliberate, as representing how a dementia patient might see the world.
We also talked about various aspects of dementia which the book presented. Elizabeth's relations and helpers often seemed unsympathetic, and we wondered whether this was also a perspective of dementia. Would a Memory Board – a visual aid reminding her of the answers to often-asked questions - have helped her? Are dementia patients better understood now, than when this book was written? Elizabeth's memories of the past, too, included a lot of unpleasant treatment of herself and of other people – was this, also, coloured by her present illness, or was it merely an accurate depiction of post-war austerity?
For most of the group this book seemed to be a success and a thoughtful treatment of a difficult topic. We noted that this is her debut novel.
I wanted to read this book for a while now. I am disappointed and frustrated with the book. It felt at times as if we were viewing through the eyes of a toddler having a tantrum. The lack of response by professionals and family members to very erratic behaviour by aud a real eye opener. I'm sure it would have been picked up on much earlier.
When I got towards the last few sentences I wanted to throw the book at the wall with frustration and a "Really!"
'Elizabeth is missing ' is a Beautiful and emotive read. The character of Maud an 82 year old dementia sufferer is touching and very realisitc. Although parts of the book were very sad and moving there were light touches of humour cleverly woven into the plot. The relationship between Maud and her family was skilled handled and each characters sutbtle nuances were brought to life on the page. Part of the story was set in 1946 and it was clear that Emma Healey has researched this period really well. An impressive debutt from a writer to watch. A powerful human story.
Sarah Davis - reader development coordinator - Greenwich Libraries
A lovely story; really true-to-life.
I felt great sympathy for the main character but even more so for her daughter, Helen.
You get two stories in one with this book. It was very cleverly done and I will look out for more from Emma Healey.l
A Very cleverly written first novel.
I actually questioned what I had done recently when experiencing Maud's difficulties of remembering things. I'm sure all of us have written a note to remind us to do something but how awful it must be to have an apron pocket full of little slips of paper and not know what they mean or why they were written.
A very interesting premise having the main character suffering from dementia and it is done very well! The flash backs to when she was younger were interesting too and tied the story together well. An enjoyable book!
Very real and visceral insight into what it is like to live with dementia. The storyline is gripping and keep you wanting to know all the answers!
An interesting novel based around a central character, Maud, who suffers with dementia. The mixed up timeline of events left me feeling confused and frustrated at times, which gave a real insight into how the character felt herself. Her memories from childhood mix in with more recent ones, she relies on scraps of paper to remind her of events and information. The one she always comes back to says "Elizabeth is missing"...her friend Elizabeth's house is empty and Maud suspects her son is up to no good.
A really lovely read that really opens your eyes up as to what it is like living with and coping with dementia for both the person and family.
It has everything - bits that make you sad, bits that make you laugh and bits that make you want to not put the book down. A lovely story that comes good in the end.
