This month's novel deals with a topic most of us don't want to think about. Perhaps we know a loved one who has or had Alzheimer's Disease, or maybe we live in fear that we'll get it ourselves. Either way, it helps to know how the disease works so that we can deal with it better. Knowledge is Power, right?
Still Alice (2009) is a compelling novel about a Harvard professor of Linguistics named Alice who finds herself increasingly confused and forgetful. She seeks medical help and her worst fears are confirmed. She has Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease. Alice is a fictional character, but because of the nuanced character development here, readers will feel that they are inside the head of a living person. I heard Lisa Genova speak about the book recently, and she revealed that Alice is actually a composite of people she met who have the disease, and of the facets of her deep knowledge of how the brain works. She has a very interesting TED Talk
here where she shares what she believes are the best ways to avoid getting Alzheimer's Disease. Reading books, attending classes, and generally acquiring new knowledge are examples of ways to ward it off, but you'll realize these did not work for the scholar Alice. Sometimes all the learning in the world can't combat what's already in the genes.
Lisa Genova is a neuroscientist and believes that she can educate people about brain diseases and conditions more effectively by attaching the symptoms and medical knowledge about the disease to a story. In this case, it is Alice who has Early-Onset Alzheimer's, but her other books explore realistically the facets of Huntingdon's Disease, brain injuries, and autism. Still Alice is her flagship book, though, and Julianne Moore won an Oscar for portraying the main character in the "Still Alice" movie!
Read this book for more understanding of Alzheimer's. It's all around us. If you haven't encountered it yet, you probably will, and the best way to deal is to know what is happening. In spite of its gloomy subject, it is a good read with rich detail and compelling characters.
