Turn of Mind

I usually avoid books about Alzheimer's. I have a family history of Alzheimer's and dementia, and frankly, after watching people I love live through that while also living with the fear that I may have it myself someday, I'd rather read the latest Ann Coulter book than anything about Alzheimer's. Still Alice? Don't care how good it is; not gonna read it. But I went to a talk with Karin Slaughter recently and she named Alice LaPLante's Turn of Mind as one of the best books she had read recently. Alzheimer's patient is accused of murdering her best friend but has no recollection of the event. Hmm. Could be good. Since Karin is a thriller writer, I figured this to be a thriller. I like a good thriller now and then. Ok, I'll give it a chance.

First let me say that I think this is a good novel. It's definitely not a thriller though. The story is told by Dr. Jennifer White. A formerly prominent hand surgeon, she is now retired due to early onset of Alzheimer's. She is still living at home, but with a caregiver. Her best friend and neighbor, Amanda, has recently been murdered and four of her fingers removed. Jennifer is the primary person of interest, but because of her disease, she is unable to recall anything, or even remember that Amanda is dead. Because Jennifer narrates the story, we know next to nothing about the investigation. We live in her head, as she constantly jumps from past to present. We see bits and pieces of her life, her career, her marriage, her children, her friendship with Amanda, until we can almost piece together what her life was like before the disease. You can see how the disease progresses as her thoughts and memories get shorter and more jumbled.

Jennifer doesn't come across as a very likable character and while the question of Amanda's murder looms in the background, it is really secondary to the progression of Jennifer's disease and her future. That the author told the story from Jennifer's point of view is what makes this so unique, fascinating, disturbing, and thought-provoking.