By now, you’ve definitely seen the trailer for the Still Alice movie. Julianne Moore has already won her Golden Globe and is a strong contender in the Best Actress Oscar race for playing the title character. Unsurprisingly, I am perhaps most excited about the reunion of Jack Donaghy and Nancy Donovan (but with a way less painful accent).
The trailer tells the shortened and less graphic version of the powerful story: Alice Howland, a psychology professor at Harvard, is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. The book takes the reader through the progression of her disease in third-person limited narrative form- though we’re looking at the interactions among Alice and those around her from an outsider lens, we’re privy to her every thought and feeling. Her frustrations are the feeling most easily felt through Lisa Genova’s artful storytelling, undoubtedly mirroring the genuine experience of those with Alzheimer’s.
To use some overused adjectives, this is an absolutely gorgeous and heartbreaking book. Above most else, it’s uncomfortable and at times, confusing, but so important in its lack of gloss or sugar-coating. In this way, it reminded me a little of Brain on Fire– though that book is a firsthand account of a neurological medical condition and Still Alice is fiction, the prose reflected the mood of the central character and created complexity in the storytelling.
I’ve not done any research as to whether or not Lisa Genova has firsthand experience with Alzheimer’s and I don’t have a personal connection to the disease, but I imagine she’s offered a very realistic account of what a hard-fought battle looks like- not only to the individual but those around her.
Absolutely worth a read- stay tuned to find out if it’s also worth a watch.
You’ll like this if: you like fiction that packs a really emotional punch- it reminded me in some ways of Tuesdays with Morrie in its unabashed rawness when describing how disease affects brilliant individuals (though that might be a lazy comparison- hard to say).
Happy reading!
carlyreads 