Simply put, this book chronicles Alice, a 50-year-old Harvard professor who is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease. She has had a good life with her husband John and their 3 children, she's had a successful career, and she's enjoying life. Then BAM, hit with the diagnoses. The most horrible part was finding out that when diagnosed with early onset, it's a genetic thing, so Alice's 3 kids all had a 50% chance of carrying the gene and being diagnosed themselves. How horrible. A bit about her kids:
Anna took transparent pleasure in the fact that Lydia didn't go to college; Lydia's abbreviated education somehow secured Anna's position as the smartest, most successful Howland daughter. The oldest, Anna had been the first to demonstrate her intelligence to her delighted parents, the first to hold the status of being their brillant daughter. Althought Tom was also very bright, Anna had never paid much attention to him, maybe because he was a boy. Then, Lydia came along. Both girls were smart, but Anna suffered to get straight A's, whereas Lydia's unblemished report cards came with little noticeable effort. Anna paid attention to that. They were both competitive and fiercely independent, but Anna wasn't a risk taker. She tended to pursue goals that were safe and conventional, and that were sure to be accompanied by tangible accolades. (p.33)
(Do you know who that sounds like? Anna sounds much like me, Lydia, a little like my sister.)
Lisa Genova did a great job of showing alternate perspectives, although not nearly as much as Alice's perspective. Her kids each had different feelings about their mother's progressive illness. Perhaps the most touching thing was the growth of Alice's relationship with her youngest child, daughter Lydia. Alice always felt at odds with Lydia because she didn't go to school, she was a troublesome teen, and she moved away to Los Angeles to try to make a career out of acting.
Overall, Still Alice was an excellent read. It's pretty haunting, and I can't imagine that happening to one of my parents. I hope I never have to see that day. Highly recommend this book to all.
No comments:
Post a Comment