By Brittany Miller – Collegiate Staff
Lisa Genova debuts an emotional experience for readers everywhere in her book “Still Alice.” Grabbing my attention from page one, I threw myself into the story following Harvard professor, wife and mother Alice, who learns that she has early onset Alzheimer’s.
From forgetting just one word in a speech, to learning that she has early onset Alzheimer’s, I found myself getting choked up 14 pages into the book, despite having a long way to go in Alice’s story.
Alzheimer’s is an illness few understand, and communicating the stages of it, as well as the feelings of the individual, is something Genova does extremely well.
“Still Alice” (370 pages, $9.71) was emotionally gripping, bringing a brutal and heartbreaking truth to the life of Alzheimer’s, and how much one’s life can unravel from their hands as this illness completely takes over.
Her family has to come to grips as, chapter by chapter, they start to lose pieces of Alice as a mother, a wife and professor. I believe that is what made the story more relatable as Genova showed how much this illness affects not only the individual, but also those around them. The loss that is suffered because of
Alice’s diagnosis is heart wrenching, yet inspiring as the family goes through the obstacles Alice faces as part of this disease. Genova brings this element of togetherness even though Alice’s life is falling apart and that brings the story full circle.
“Still Alice” is not only a go-to book for those who have witnessed similar experiences, but for those who love to lose themselves in a gripping story. Genova created a beautiful novel, capturing my attention from the first page and I highly recommend readers pick up a copy. Lose yourself in the pages of “Still Alice” and come out with a new understanding, despite all the tears that will come at the turn of every page.
