The Library’s book club met on February 19 to discuss Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey. It’s both an easy and frustrating read. The book is narrated by 82 year old Maud who knows something is going on with her friend Elizabeth, but she just can’t hold the details in her mind. It is never spelled out in the book, but it seems that Maud suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. She knows that she is a little forgetful, so organizes her thoughts on many, many little pieces of paper. The thought that comes up again and again; Elizabeth is missing. It’s become an obsession and she is determined to find her. But to add to her confusion is another disappearance, that of her sister, Sukey, more than 60 years earlier. There was something about marrows and a blue compact, and if only she could remember why she keeps digging in the dirt. Although she has her daughter Helen and carers helping her in her home, her behavior is often inappropriate or lands her in awkward situations. The book shifts quickly between the present and the past as something triggers a memory for Maud. Then reality jolts her back to the present, often not remembering where she is or what she was doing. This is where the book is frustrating to read; you just don’t understand what is happening and which details are important. By the end you will have pieced together parts of the puzzle, but there are still many missing pieces. You may not like this book if you like all the details tied up nicely at the end. This book leaves them in a mess. Now that you are finished the book, go back and read the prologue again. Makes more sense now doesn’t it?
The book club meets next on March 19 to discuss All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews. If you want to join our group, ask for the book at the Library and come to the next meeting. You can also find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/CPLNovelbookclub
