In this darkly riveting debut novel—a sophisticated psychological mystery that is also an 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 … 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 fifty 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?
more
Elizabeth Is Missing is a standalone novel written by first-time author Emma Healey. It is part mystery, part thriller, and part historical fiction. But regardless of the plots going on in this book, Elizabeth Is Missing is primarily about Maud, an elderly woman struggling with her decent into dementia. Maud’s voice in this story will tug at your heart and open your eyes to the perspective of the aging. The loss of control and social isolation represented in this book was eye-opening for me. Maud isn’t mindlessly spiraling into memory loss- she is aware of her increasing difficulties and that is the saddest part about it. Overall, I liked this book and it’s mystery element. But I loved Maud! Her perspective will sit with me for years to come and remind me that a little extra patience goes a long way.
Part historical fiction, part mystery, it’s a heartbreaking look into the mind of an elderly woman living with dementia combined with 2 mysteries set decades apart. All the elements combined nicely and formed a very satisfying read. Highly recommend!
I couldn’t put this down – such an original, thrilling read!
It was hard to believe that this well-written book was Emma Healy’s debut novel, such is the brilliance of the story. The writer truly gets into the characters of Maud the protagonist and her daughter Helen.
original POV, lovely style
An ok read, different, interesting. I did love how the author showed senior dementia through the viewpoint of the person affected.
This was a book that took me by surprise. The subject matter is one not often covered, and it takes a detailed view in something that is a taboo subject. Once a person has been diagnosed with dementia then they are very often labelled by their condition rather than being regarded as a human being anymore – the diseases robs them of their humanity. Elizabeth is missing restores this and it is a stark reminder that people suffering this debilitating condition should always be treated with respect and tolerance. But for the Grace of God.
Sam Burnell – author of the Mercenary For Hire Series of Historical Fiction Novels.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07WWJPMTR/ref=series_rw_dp_sw
Good read!
Brilliant book. Great mystery, uniquely solved. Incredible insight into the difficulties the protagonist faces.
It was a somewhat difficult book to read because the woman in the story had a severe memory problem. She demonstrated strange behaviors like regularly digging in her backyard or others yard. She has Alzheimer’s it appears but she had memory problems even when a young girl. Not only was her friend Elizabeth missing but for years she was distressed because her sister was missing. The shifts in her young life to her life as an elderly woman are numerous and happen from one paragraph to the next.
Interesting twist on the unreliable narrator device: She’s unreliable not because she lies, but because she can’t remember. A light, fun mystery and an insight into the workings of a brain suffering from dementia.
A remarkable, well-studied, portrayal of dementia for a young author. While Maud’s daughter Helen frets over her mother’s loss of memory, Elizabeth is only mildly disconcerted by it. She might forget whether she had made her tea, or what she set out to buy from the store, but one thing she’s convinced of, it’s that her friend Elizabeth is missing. Undeterred by her diminished capacity and indifferent to Helen’s concerns, Maud is driven by her own certainty, determined to find out what happened to Elizabeth. Interwoven with this present-day thread is Maud’s past and the mysterious disappearance of her sister Sukey just after the war. And that’s where Emma Healey lends a refreshing, upbeat, tone to her novel. To all intents and purposes, Maud’s memory is altogether unreliable. But is it, really, or does it reflect a glimmer of a fact?
This was a heartbreaking story. I loved the Maud, the main character and both of her stories that often overlapped as her memory deteriorated. I wanted to find out about each of the missing woman. I also felt for her daughter Helen as she dealt with her mom on a daily basis. Good story.
My husband had Alzheimer’s, so I read any novel that delves into this topic, to try to get a better understanding. This just seemed a little too disjointed. I know, first-hand, what the disease can do, but this was too drawn out, I finally gave up. Just too slow. Unlike, An Absent Mind, which is the best book I have found regarding this topic.
Very interesting read.
We know from the start that this narrator is unreliable and are immediately immersed in her befuddled world where memories pop up out of nowhere only to disappear like gossamer on the wind. The story is sad, but also uplifting – I’m probably right in describing it as ‘up lit’, the current big trend in fiction.
Based on people I know, I think the author did a great job of describing Alzheimer’s thoughts that flip in and out.
A little repetitive but worth the read
Not what I was expecting. This story had potential. A mystery involving a woman with short-term memory loss reliving memories from events in her past. I knew I had misjudged my choice shortly after the audio began. Rather than interesting, enriching or entertaining, it was annoying. By the end, I felt a little crazy myself. The author’s note in the back of the book sheds some light on how the idea for this story evolved.
With a mother-in-law dealing with dementia — it was an interesting look at things from her point of view.