Sorry, I seem to be here before the official chronicler!
Having
read this book twice, I really like it. It is not perfect. There are some
inconsistencies. Christine seems to know things you would not expect her to if
she cannot remember things from day to day, but they are mainly how life works
rather than her personal history, so do not detract from the story. And it is
slightly unbelievable that she has apparently never tried to write a journal
before, had had no contact from husband and son for so long and had a doctor
who did not talk to her husband.
I like
the way you are drawn into her world and her experience of it. How she feels
when she wakes up, how she makes sense of her relationship with her husband,
her feelings for her doctor and he son and the emerging clashes with what you
expect which gradually makes you think all is not right (though I did feel a
bit uncomfortable that this was mainly highlighted by differences in taste that
felt classist). That is what makes the book so compelling. Who are we without
memory? Many of us are destined for this future and will not ever be able to
hold the truth, even as long as Christine does. She wants to know who she
is. Someone with dementia probably does
not.
The last
part, even on second reading is full of tension, a thriller whose end you don't
know until close to the finish. It makes a good and hopeful ending to a
compelling read.
Chris B
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