Elizabeth Is Missing

From the cover, blurb and reviews, this novel seemed initially like a murder mystery with a twist - something I found very appealing. From what I gathered, an old lady with deteriorating memory (perhaps dementia) is the only person who can remember that her friend is missing, but she is struggling to remember why and how. Now, there's nothing wrong with this at all. It seems very interesting. The novel itself, however, is very different.

The primary focus is on Maud's life as her condition worsens. It seems the real mystery is one from her past that remains unsolved - something which readers are taken to via flashbacks to post war Britain as events unfold. For Maud, these flashbacks become increasingly confused with reality until she, against all odds, finds the answers.

This is another one of those books where the preface is rather confusing and out of context, making not much sense. However as soon as chapter one begins, so does the narrative journey. After the conclusion, reread the preface and you will notice just how expertly the threads are woven together by the end.

Some people have called this novel frustrating. They've been asking why someone didn't just TELL Maud where  Elizabeth went. But that's the really sad thing - they do, all the time, but Maud can't remember and so the reader doesn't know. The concept here, while extremely sad, is incredibly well carried out. We'll be thrown into and out of moments and conversations to reflect what Maud can and can't remember. We feel her confusion with her and Healey expertly creates the same sense of frustration that Maud is feeling for the reader. What's especially remarkable here is, as Maud deteriorates, an already immersive sense of emotion grows along with the sense of expectation, creating an incredibly powerful and emotional climax.

This is an absolutely fantastic and gripping read in ways in which you might not first expect. This novel deserves to stand among some of the great and well known works of late, more so than its run-of-the-mill cover and misleading blurb give it credit for. That said, there really is no way to properly summarise this novel or indeed its genre or type. It covers all bases to form something that is undoubtedly a book which you, ironically, will never forget.

9.5/10

Next I'll be reading "The Bees" by Laline Paull