Everything you’ve heard about Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey is true. It is brilliant, beautiful and heart breaking. I am at a loss to understand how someone so young (28) could write such an accurate and sensitive portrayal of aging. At the heart of Elizabeth is Missing is Maud, who is quickly loosing touch with the present as she slips into the miasma of Alzheimer’s or dementia. She is convinced that something untoward has happened to her good friend Elizabeth, as something horrid had happened to her sister at least sixty years earlier.
Brilliant books that tackle difficult subjects, like dementia, are never easy to read. Maud’s vulnerability increases as her lucidity deceases. Her confusion is both frustrating and demoralizing. Thankfully Maud’s present situation is broken up with glimpses of her past and the mystery surrounding her sister’s disappearance. These portions have garnered Elizabeth is Missing comparisons to books such as Gone Girl and Before I Go To Sleep, but i feel this is unwarranted and unfair. Elizabeth is Missing is a topnotch piece of literary fiction. It does not have the same page turning qualities as the two psychological thrillers mentioned above.
Who would like this book? I know this book will be picked up by a lot of book clubs and I won’t be at all surprised if we see it as a Heather’s Pick in the near future. It should also be put on the list for anyone who wants greater insight into our aging population. I hope that I will treat my aging family more sensitively having read this. One of the few books I’d compare it to is Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry.
I received a copy of this book from my friends at Random House Canada in exchange for an honest and fair review.
52 books or bust 
I’m glad to hear you loved this book! It also reminded me of Still Alice. Have you read that one?
I read Still Alice eons ago and had kind of forgotten about it. Thanks for bringing it back to mind.
I loved this book and Maud was such a special character. I gave my mother the book to read as her friend is in early stages of dementia. I’m glad you liked it!
Wow. This does sound brilliant! I’ll have to look it up. Very tempting!
You are so right on about this book. And it is astounding that a 28 year old would be able to write a character like Maud so honestly and beautifully. It definitely doesn’t have the thriller aspect of Before I Go To Sleep but I did find myself comparing the two, if only because of the way the memory lapses came and went, the way Maud and Christine each have flashes of familiarity without knowing exactly why the situation is familiar. I’m glad that this book is catching on because it deserves to be widely read.
I’m so happy to hear that so many people loved this book! As you probably know, I loved it as well. It’s really so crazy to think that Healey was able to write such a mature voice at such a young age. It has definitely made me feel more empathetic towards our aging population and their caregivers.
I keep seeing reviews of this and thinking of Still Alice…It sounds really good. Emotional, but good!
I forgot about Still Alice. This was even better!
I’m so pleased that you loved this one. I heard her talk at a book event and was very impressed. I plan to read this soon – anything compared to Rohinton Mistry is doubly exciting for me!
I was also very impressed with this book. I loved the writing and I thought the author did a great job making me sympathize with Maud and also her family.
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I also really liked this book. I was a bit shocked to find out that the author is only 28! I have recommended the book to heaps of people – it’s such an empathetic and sympathetic exploration of ageing I think a lot of people will both relate to it and find it interesting.
I’ve been recommending it to everyone as well. I’m going to see Healey at the Edinburgh Book Festival, so I can’t wait to hear what she had to say about writing it.