Book review:  Still Alice

I think most of us who care for a person with Alzheimer’s disease wonder at some point, “What’s going on in their mind?” or “What are they thinking?”  It’s difficult to imagine what it must be like to experience a slow deterioration of memory function. 

In her debut novel, Still Alice, Lisa Genova writes a compelling description of what the progression of memory loss or Alzheimer’s disease might be like for a middle-aged person diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.  The novel follows Alice and her family over a 2-year period in which Alice’s disease progresses, affecting her job performance and professional status, her husband’s lifestyle and career decisions, and her children’s career and family plans.

In the story, the main character, Dr. Alice Howland, is an accomplished linguistics professor at Harvard which makes the effects of the disease seem even more cruel and devastating; she actually knows how the psychometric tests used to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease are constructed, what they’re measuring, and what the answers should be for a person without Alzheimer’s disease.  In the early stages, she understands the effects of Alzheimer’s disease and anticipates her disease’s progression.  Some of the family interactions will be familiar to readers as the novel touches on common family relationship issues, highlighting for all of us the importance of maintaining open communication and resolving family conflicts before it’s too late. 

In contrast, some of the situations described and the reactions of those in attendance seemed unrealistic or unlikely to occur.  The description and presentation of the other characters, including her family members, seemed shallow and their emotions insufficiently explored.  The book ends with a description of a day in Alice’s life now that she requires constant supervision and is generally unable to recognize family members.  For me, the strength and value of the novel is the description of Alice’s thoughts and reactions across the course of her disease.