Elizabeth Is Missing

Written by:
Emma Healey
Narrated by:
Davina Porter

Unabridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
8
Narrator
2
Release Date
June 2014
Duration
11 hours 10 minutes
Summary
HOW DO YOU SOLVE A MYSTERY WHEN YOU CAN'T REMEMBER THE CLUES?

In this darkly riveting debut novel—a sophisticated psychological mystery that is also an heartbreakingly honest meditation on memory, identity, and aging—an elderly woman descending into dementia embarks on a desperate quest to find the best friend she believes has disappeared, and her search for the truth will go back decades and have shattering consequences.

Maud, an aging grandmother, is slowly losing her memory—and her grip on everyday life. Yet she refuses to forget her best friend Elizabeth, whom she is convinced is missing and in terrible danger.

But no one will listen to Maud—not her frustrated daughter, Helen, not her caretakers, not the police, and especially not Elizabeth’s mercurial son, Peter. Armed with handwritten notes she leaves for herself and an overwhelming feeling that Elizabeth needs her help, Maud resolves to discover the truth and save her beloved friend.

This singular obsession forms a cornerstone of Maud’s rapidly dissolving present. But the clues she discovers seem only to lead her deeper into her past, to another unsolved disappearance: her sister, Sukey, who vanished shortly after World War II.

As vivid memories of a tragedy that occurred more fifty years ago come flooding back, Maud discovers new momentum in her search for her friend. Could the mystery of Sukey’s disappearance hold the key to finding Elizabeth?
Reviews
Profile Avatar
Linda M.

While I think that this is an excellent book for anyone who wants to know more about dementia, the disease's progress, and what it might feel like to the person stricken with it, there is so much more to this book than that: This book is, above all else, a wonderfully conceived and well-written mystery story. The author is a consummate storyteller, she weaves the past and the present in such a skillful and imaginative way. The narrator, Davina Porter, is a well-known actress in the U.K. and she does a great job with what must have been difficult material to vocalize. It is a great book!!

Profile Avatar
nab6215

**MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS** "Elizabeth is Missing" is an extraordinary book in concept but at times is a frustrating book to read. It is frustrating because the main character, Elizabeth has dementia. It is evident at the beginning of the book and progresses to where she can no longer live alone and sometimes does not recognize her daughter at the end of the book. The idea two mysteries are good. For a while, I thought they were intertwining. As one mystery is solved and soon after the other, Elizabeth remembers neither one. I chose the book because my mom is getting worse, not even nearing Elizabeth's state at the beginning of this book. However, after talking with caregivers about those with dementia, the book only beat us over the head with a wet noodle. I recommend this book for anyone who wants a more gentle easing into what to expect from dementia.

1 book added to cart
Subtotal
$27.99
View Cart