What I Read | February

Yep, it's that time again to share with you what I read in the last month!

At the end of last month when I was in London I finished the book that I was reading, Lovie, Rosie (full review here) so while in Westfield I decided to take a quick trip into WHSmith to search for a new one. The process of buying a book really varies for me, sometimes I endlessly research a certain genre that I'm interested in or like this time or else I just go in and buy a book that catches my eye. While in WHSmith I was obviously feeling the crime/ mystery genre that day as I picked up two books from that genre. I am very interested to see what works for you in terms of buying books, do you prefer going into a shop and buying the one with the most visually appealing cover or do you do plenty of research and plan your purchases? I ask you this because personally, I love finding little gems that nobody else has read but other times it can turn into a bit of a flop and a waste of time.

Anyway, the book that I read this month was 'Elizabeth is Missing' by Emma Healey. As I am truly awful at describing novels, I will leave you with this quite detailed synopsis from GoodReads!

"In this darkly riveting debut novel—a sophisticated psychological mystery that is also a 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.

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?"

So what did I like about the book?

Although I didn't fall in love with the characters, I really felt a connection to Maud, the elderly lady and the novel's main character. The novel truly highlights the devastating illness that is dementia and her vulnerability as nobody takes her seriously in her everyday life.

I thought had a very unique point of view. As it was written through Maud's eyes, it was nothing like I had ever read before as her forgetfulness was apparent which made it very interesting.

I liked the way the novel kept switching from present day when Elizabeth is missing, to back when Maud was a teenager, when Sukey was missing. 

The author was very descriptive and brought some of the images and scenarios in the novel to life very effectively.

What I didn't like about the book..

I wasn't drawn to it, I didn't feel the need to get stuck into this book on my train journey home.

I thought it dragged a bit, although necessary, it got very repetitive as Maud forgot certain things and it would have to be repeated. 

I found that it wasn't a very good mystery novel, although it claims to be the main theme I found the plot quite obvious and predictable.

Even though the good seems to overwrite the bad here, I still wasn't very impressed with this book. In my opinion, it was just an ok read that I will probably forget about in years to come. Read it if you have an interest in the illness dementia but other than that, you can find a much better read!

I'm always looking for book recommendations so please tell me your favourites in the comments below..


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