By Emma Healey
Maud is Forgetful. She makes a cup of tea and doesn’t remember to drink it. She goes to the shops and forgets why she went. Sometimes her home is unrecognizable -or her daughter Helen seems a total stranger. But there’s one thing Maud is sure of: her friend Elizabeth is missing. The note in her pocket tells her so. And no matter who tells her to stop going on about it, to leave it alone, to shut up, Maud will get to the bottom of it.
This is a good read on so many levels, told from the point of view of the elderly Maud who has dementia. The ‘unreliable narrator’ is done beautifully here, with the reader given tantalising clues, red herrings, and distractions on the way to rooting out the truth. It is also an observant and moving portrayal of dementia, and the impact it has on Maud and her relationship with her daughter.
I really recommend it. Also, I have been told there is a TV adaptation with Glenda Jackson in, which sounds so awesome I will have to track it down!
Abigail's Library 