"EVERY BIT AS COMPELLING AS THE FRENZIED HYPE SUGGESTS. A GRIPPING DETECTIVE YARN AND A HAUNTING DEPICTION OF MENTAL ILLNESS" - OBSERVER
Just inside the front and back covers of my copy of Elizabeth is Missing, are countless snippets of reviews from the critics about this debut novel from Emma Healey, who is just two years older than me with this Sunday Times bestseller under her belt. The above, from the Observer, is my favourite from the critics as it entirely sums this book up.
The main protagonist, Maud, suffers from dementia - she can't remember what things are called, where she is, why she is where she is, and who people are, and the subject of just how disabling dementia as an illness is, is really brought to the readers awareness in this book. It feels very real, and you can't help but be charmed by Maud as she has absolutely no awareness of the effects of her behaviour as a result of her mental illness.
Maud is adamant that her friend Elizabeth is missing. She carries little bits of paper everywhere with her to jot down notes to help her remember things, and her notes are telling her that Elizabeth is missing - she tries to enlist help to find Elizabeth from whoever will listen, only everybody dismisses her claims as nothing more than incoherent ramblings.
The story flashes back to Maud's childhood, growing up after the second World War. Her seemingly incoherent ramblings are intertwined with an unsolved mystery from her youth, and the mystery only really unravels right at the very end of the book, keeping you gripped until the final pages.
I loved this book - it was so well written, with a very unique protagonist. I have wanted to write a novel ever since I was little (my parents will vouch for the fact that I had about a hundred 'chapter one' Word documents saved on our computer as a kid...I never seemed to quite make it to chapter two!) so the fact that Emma Healey has had so much success at just a few years older than me is so inspiring, and makes me want to put fingers to keyboard again.
I would highly recommend Elizabeth is Missing to any age group, from young adult and upwards. It's a great read.
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