Still Alice by Lisa Genova

Still Alice by Lisa Genova

                There are some things you just never want to imagine. One of those things is losing all of your memories and your sense of self because of Alzheimer’s disease. I don’t know how Genova was able to create this novel that so beautifully detailed a realistic look at that struggle but I have to take my hat off to her because Still Alice was amazing. It was heartbreaking in its simple writing style and matter of fact tone. Every moment that seemed to show a little hope was crushed under the staggering reality that this disease, Alzheimer’s, would continue to progress and get worse. The mind would continue to deteriorate and then the world would cease to have true meaning.

                Alice Howland is a 50 year old psychology professor at Harvard who thought she was having simple memory lapses because of menopause. That was until she got lost on her usual run and couldn’t remember how to get home. She also went to class one day and forgot to teach. She also completely forgot about a conference she was supposed to attend in Chicago. Alice went to see her doctor and her doctor sent her to a neurologist. The neurologist told her she had early onset Alzheimer’s disease. She would eventually have to quit teaching, speaking at conferences and researching. It wouldn’t be a good idea for her to leave the house without a bracelet registered to Alzheimer’s Association’s Safe Return program, just in case she got lost again. Slowly but surely she began to forget more things: her daughter’s face, where the bathroom was, the name of almost anything. Alice struggled and suffered stuck in this horrible reality that one day she would forget herself.

                I couldn’t put this book down. I finally took it off my bookshelf and was lost within these pages in no time. I can’t describe adequately what makes this book so good. It could be the use of third person POV which kept things impersonal and matter of fact but was still an extremely effective tool in conveying the depth of the character’s emotions. The writing was very matter of fact. There were moments when I felt as lost and confused as Alice. Statements like “How can I be lost in my own house?” resonated loudly because I can’t understand how that is possible and if ever faced with having to ask that question I don’t know how I would handle it. All the characters were well developed, their relationships fully formed, thought out and executed. The progression of the disease was well paced and ultimately disturbing in its persistence. Genova’s writing style and execution simply worked and we are left with a beautiful and deeply disheartening novel about a horrifying disease. This novel was a 5 out of 5 for me. I gained a better understanding of what true loss can be by reading this book.