Review : Still Alice
Still Alice by Lisa Genova
Pages : 336
Genre : Fiction
Stand Alone
My Rating : 
From Goodreads :
Alice Howland is proud of the life she has worked so hard to build. A Harvard professor, she has a successful husband and three grown children. When Alice begins to grow forgetful at first she just dismisses it, but when she gets lost in her own neighborhood she realizes that something is terribly wrong. Alice finds herself in the rapid downward spiral of Alzheimer’s disease. She is only 50 years old.
Alice, Alice; what to say about you?
Was it only for the writing, I wouldn’t give it more than 4 stars, or even 3.5 (which is still good). In the end though, I connected emotionally with the story so strongly that the writing didn’t have a great impact on how much I loved the book. When I turned the last page, I felt as if I had just rushed through a roller coaster of emotions; grief, sadness, a few laughters here and there, love, fear… I found a little of everything in Alice’s story, and that’s what I loved about it. I know that, no matter the writing, I’ll still be thinking about this book a long time from now.
I would say my knowledge in Alzheimer’s disease is very general. I have never met someone who had it, so I can hardly judge how realistic Alice’s story is, but it felt very real to me. I was surprised to discover how quickly Alice’s disease evolved, and how it did evolved. After reading Still Alice, I went on the internet and did a little research, and what I found pretty much matched Alice’s story (considering that the disease will be a little different from one individual to another).
I thought the author was really good at getting into Alice’s head, especially since the book is written from a third person point of view. I also liked how she used the narration to represent Alice’s condition. For instance, she’ll tell a same scene twice because Alice forgot the first time she did it – but she used this only as a way to mark the disease’s progression, and it didn’t make the story repetitive. I thought it was clever, and I could feel how desperate the situation was.
The problem is that Genova is sometimes very clinical in her writing. Some of the dialog doesn’t feel like people talk, but more as if they were reading texts they had written first. I get that many of the characters are Harvard doctors and such, but no matter the education, in every day life, people don’t exactly talk like they write. Another example would be some of the descriptions of the disease and its treatments. Once, Alice and her husband are at the doctor’s office, discussing possible treatments, describing each of them in a very specific language I couldn’t understand (my knowledge of science is close to inexistent.) This lasted for 2-3 pages, and I didn’t get a word of it. I consider this as a problem in a fiction novel.
As for the characters, I mostly loved them. I had a more difficult time with Alice’s husband, John, but his reactions seemed realistic in such a situation. I appreciated that the author chose not to present the situation in a “happily ever after” scenario with him and the children; this was heartbreaking, but in my opinion much more representative of reality. Having a parent end up with Alzheimer’s, especially at such a young age, is without a doubt extremely difficult to comprehend and accept. I loved seeing how the family dealt with the situation and tried to adapt themselves to it.
I could go on and on about this book, but that’s mostly how I felt about it. It broke my heart, but in such a beautiful way! The idea of slowly loosing my memories (and therefore, myself) is scary, and I can only applaud Genova for portraying the disease so vividly.
I never tire from reading reviews on this wonderful, poignant novel. great job!
I’d really like to read this book, even though I know it will be very emotional. Nice review!
Great review.
Both my Grandfather and Father passed from Alzheimers. This is a book I am putting on my list for that reason alone.
Great review!
I’m going to be reading this soon I hope. I have an uncle with alzheimers and it’s heart breaking. I’m terrified of losing my memories and ending up there. I think this book will be difficult for me to read which is why I’ve put it off but I still really want to as well.
This book touched me emotionally. I was a wreck after I finished it!
I didn’t know that this book was about Alzheimer’s. My grandfather began to lose his memories shortly before he died. I was young when all of this happened, but I have vivid memories of him forgetting my name and trying to get out of the house to go to a job he no longer had. It was scary. The idea that one day, all of these memories that are so vivid to me now could one day disappear is terrifying. I’m definitely interested in reading this book – it’s ambitious for an author to try and depict this disease and it sounds like she did a decent job.
Scary.
I remember my mum reading a book just like this. Told from the perspective of a man suffering from Alzheimers – she said it was incredible and scary how closely you got to understanding what it was like to just forget things. Awful. 🙁
My family is in line with this horrible disease. I fear very much that my Dad might have the same fate and of how I’m going to introduce who I am. I am praying every night for a peaceful gray years for my parents.
I loved this book too. It was such an intense read. I’d definitely agree with your comments about Genova’s writing though.
My dad’s side of the family has a history of Alzheimer’s, so I’ve known a few relatives and other close family friends who have had it. It’s so sad to watch someone’s memories slowly slip away. This book sounds just as heartbreaking. I’m not sure this is a book I’ll rush out to get, but I’ll definitely keep it in mind.
Wonderful review; thank you! I read this last year and it really touched me, most likely because of my personal connection to the topic. My grandfather suffered from Alzheimer’s and I had a grandmother who had dementia in her later years. It really touched close to home and was a difficult read for me.