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I actually feel bad about the review I'm about to give this book. I think the author's heart was in the right place. She wanted to write a novel detailing Alzheimer's from the patient's point of view, and give readers greater insight into what that decline is like, enlighten the reader about medical options, and remind readers that, no matter their mental state, these are still human beings who deserve to be treated with dignity, even if their outer behavior indicates otherwise.
A noble premise. But this book reads more like a movie of the week. There's sooooooo much telling of things that should be shown--or not shown or told at all. Dialogue is manipulated to add in all kinds of medical information in such a way that the dialogue is not only not believable, it's deadly dull. The characters are stereotypes. The Alzheimer's patient, Alice Howland, is--ready?--a Harvard professor of cognitive psychology.
Yup.
It wasn't enough to make her brilliant, she had to be a specialist in cognitive matters before the arrival of early onset Alzheimer's. Then we get a husband who I think is meant to be conflicted and sympathetic, but comes off as selfish and whiny; three adult children, two of whom get testing to see if they'll get the Alzheimer's too and one who doesn't, so we can cover all those bases; and of course, Alice has been at odds with one of her daughters for years. Can you guess how their relationship plays out in this book? Of course you can. Oh, and as she's sliding into dementia, she's invited to give a big speech to the Alzheimer's Association. Can she do it? Will she be able to give a moving, intelligent talk that will inspire everyone? What do you think?
There were times when so many facts were shoved into the text that I was reminded of historical novels where the author has done a lot of research and is determined to make sure the reader notices. There were some little oddities that kept annoying me, like the characters all referring to it as "Alzheimer's disease." I don't know anyone, including my mother's doctors and facility staff, who say anything other than "Alzheimer's." C'mon, Alzheimer's is a mouthful all by itself, you really don't need to tack on "disease" at the end of it, and besides, who doesn't know what Alzheimer's is?
There are some good points. There's a very touching scene when her boss confronts her about some bad student evaluations and asks if there's anything going on at home. She realizes that he's expecting to be told that she's got an addiction or marital problems, or something like that, but when she tells him the truth, she wishes she had one of those other situations instead. Her interactions with others confirm her suspicion that having Alzheimer's scares people away, or causes them to condescent to her, as if she's stupid or crazy.
But unfortunately, these moments are too far and few between. Author Genova is earnest in her desire to educate people about Alzheimer's (disease), but earnestness is not a guarantee of a well-written novel. If you want to read a much better book, check out Alice LaPlante's Turn of Mind.
And if you want a brief but insightful overview of what Alzheimer's does to the human brain, check out this short video.
I read this book when it was first published in 2005, and I remember thinking it was great. So when Girl Detective announced it as the September book for her Gods and Monsters book club, I thought, well, cool beans, always nice to revisit a good book, right?
Except when it turns out not to be anywhere near as good as you remember it being.
This time through, my primary feeling was annoyance. I found the overly precocious narrator, Oskar, annoying. I found his grandfather's letters annoying. I found all the tricksy, cutesy stuff the author did annoying. There are illustrations and textual additions that are supposed to do something, but all they did was annoy me. I mean, for crying out loud, look at this:
A photo of a doorknob and text splattered with red marks. Let me add: that entire chapter was splattered with red marks.
And don't even get me started on the text that bunched in on itself, for pages.
I'm not opposed to unique storytelling formats when they actually serve the story. I've read Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad twice now, and both times I loved loved loved the Powerpoint chapter. To me, it's a great representation of the character, fits who she is and what she's writing about. The mess above? Not so much.
Plus there are plot items that not only annoyed me, they made me cranky. So--Oskar's a little boy, extremely bright, with parents who were pretty frank with him about things, but neither of them thought to explain what a more contemporary definition of the word "pussy" was? And really--if Oskar's father died on 9/11, would his mother really be OK with Oskar wandering all over NYC by himself for hours at a time, even if she knew where he was going? She'd be confident that he'd be safe? Really? Really?
I have to wonder if the reason I thought well of it in 2005 was that it seemed far too soon after 9/11 itself to be critical of a piece of writing about it. Like, then the terrorists would win. Maybe that's part of my problem with the book, too--not that I've read every novel written with 9/11 as a backdrop or starting point, but I've read several, and really, they pretty much all pale in comparison with the real stories that happened that day. A much better book--as far as I remember--is the nonfiction account 102 Minutes. It's straightforward, honest, and heartbreaking.
Nothing tricksy about it.
Oh, I am SO EXCITED about this:
Books and Bars, the brainchild of Jeff Kamin, is coming to the 'burbs! Normally it's held at the Aster Cafe in Minneapolis. (Which, I hasten to add, is a most excellent venue.) If you've never been, it's a huge amount of fun. Jeff picks the books, and does a good amount of research about the book and its author. The rest of us show up, eat, drink, and talk about the book in a moderated discussion. A couple of days ago the book was The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall, which generated a lively talk (not always G-rated, but hey, it's in a bar!).
Last month was the book Room by Emma Donoghue. I really wanted to go, but I had a crazy stressful week that week, and the thought of driving through rush hour traffic from the southwest suburbs wore me down. Crabby, I thought, geez, I wish there was a Books and Bars out here. And then, in one of those wonderful light-bulb-on moments, I thought, hey, maybe Jeff would bring the show out here.
And voila! That's exactly what's happening. The details from the press release are below. I'll be there on Oct. 4, Andrew Davidson's The Gargoyle in hand, ready to eat, drink, and talk books. Won't you join me?
Moderator Jeff Kamin will bring his unique take on a public book club show to a new venue, The School II, every 1st Tuesday of the month. Ann Clifford, owner of The School of the Wise and The School II, called Books & Bars “one of the greatest concepts,” and is looking forward to “really talking about the books.” Kamin added, “I’m excited to share our lively discussions in a wine bar, you know, for the anti-oxidants. With a new audience, no two discussions are alike. Looking forward to your thoughts on literature.”
First Tues of the month @ The School II
600 Market St, Chanhassen, Minnesota 55317
(952) 949-0000
http://schoolofthewise.net/school-ii
Tuesday, October 4th 6 - 7pm dinner/social 7 - 8:30pm
free book discussion with Moderator Jeff Kamin
October Pick:The Gargoyleby Andrew Davidson
