Gradually we realise that perhaps it's not Elizabeth that Maud is really concerned about, but someone from her distant past, a person who unaccountably vanished at the end of World War 2.
Healey runs two mysteries in parallel, creating an increasing tension for the reader as to whether Maud's mind will last long enough to unravel one or other of them, or both. In the midst of all her confusion are clues to both the past and the present; fortunately the past is a much more vivid world than the present, and much more coherent.
After a couple of chapters of this novel I began to wonder if Healey could sustain the idea of an old lady with Alzheimer's telling a story, but she achieves it superbly. We share Maud's terrifying sense of gradually losing the names of things, of increasingly mixing up events, of failing to recognise her own family members. She writes notes to aid her memory but they seldom prove to be of value; instead they increase her confusion. She goes for unaccompanied walks even though she's not supposed to leave her house, and gets lost even when she recognises places.
Few people seem aware of her illness; those who are usually treat her strange behaviour without compassion. It's rare for her to be seen as an unwell elderly woman instead of some annoying old person.
Apart from the enjoyment of its double mystery, the book offers a remarkable insight into a deteriorating mind, and is valuable for those struggling to care for a person in any state of dementia.
- Mike Crowl is a Dunedin writer, musician and composer.
Win a copy
The ODT has three copies of Elizabeth is Missing, by Emma Healey (RRP $45) to give away courtesy of Penguin and its imprint Viking.
For your chance to win a copy, email helen.speirs@odt.co.nz with your name and postal address in the body of the email, and ''Elizabeth Book Competition'' in the subject line, by 5pm on Tuesday, June 17.
