Turn of Mind

Author: Alice LaPlante
Published: Atlantic Monthly Press, 2011
307 pages

This book has been ALL OVER book review magazines, websites, etc. and I knew I had to read it as soon as I read the description.  It gets 4.5 stars (out of 5) in Amazon.com customer reviews, which is really outstanding for a book that also did extremely well in critical reviews.  I think what makes this book such a standout is the unique perspective (which critics love), combined with the thriller-type story line (which non-critical readers love).

The perspective is unique because it is a first-person account of someone with dementia.  Dr. Jennifer White is a (formerly) prestigious hand surgeon afflicted with Alzheimer's.  She has good days, where she knows who and where she is, and she has very bad days, where she gets confused and runs away, violently lashes out, and gets depressed about her failing mind.

It is slowly revealed that Dr. White's best friend Amanda was found murdered in her house with some of her fingers surgically removed, and Dr. White is the primary suspect, for obvious reasons.  On some days, Dr. White has barely any recollection of ever even knowing Amanda, but on other days the reader is given hints into Dr. White and Amanda's sometimes rocky and volatile friendship.  Some other key players are Dr. White's children, a son and daughter, who go back and forth between being supportive or overbearing and at times trying to take advantage of Dr. White.

At its heart, this is a mystery book that puts the reader in a sometimes very frustrating position because you have to follow along with a story that comes from a diseased mind.  Dr. White's reality changes from day to day, and bits of the mystery are revealed very gradually in between her "bad" days.  This book would not have been the same if it followed a typical third-person narrative style, and I think LaPlante did an incredible job of putting the reader in the mind of an Alzheimer's patient.

Overall, I think this is a book most people would enjoy.  It's a really quick read, and very different from the typical third-person mystery narrative.  If you're looking for something to read and you don't want to feel like you wasted your time reading a book that you hated, this is a pretty sure bet.

A Small Hotel

Author: Robert Olen Butler
Published: Grove Press, 2011
241 pages


OK so I've been pretty busy lately, but it's time to get back to this blog business.  I read this book over the summer, and I'm pretty embarrassed to admit that I read it because I saw it on a book list in Oprah's magazine.  I'm swallowing my pride because I think this is an interesting book with a unique perspective and language.  It's pretty dark and depressing, and we all know that's my thing, so here it is!

The protagonist of this book is Kelly Hays, a middle aged woman who is in the midst of a divorce with her husband Michael Hays.  Before finalizing the divorce papers, she travels back to New Orleans to stay in the hotel she and Michael frequented in happier times.  The narrative travels between Kelly, who is sitting in a hotel room by herself, and Michael, who is at a traditional Southern "ball" with his much younger new girlfriend.

The history of Kelly and Michael's marriage is revealed through the both happy and painful memories interwoven throughout the narrative.  We learn about all their issues, for example: her childhood, spent trying to gain the approval of her emotionally detached father... surprise, surprise.

It's interesting how it all ends up, but really it's just a portrait of a complicated relationship that is falling apart at the seams despite two people's efforts to keep it together.  It's not idealized or overly romanticized, and I enjoy that type of reality.  It reminded me very much of the movie Blue Valentine, which I loved, and not just because of Ryan Gosling.

Anyway, maybe the next book I post won't be so depressing.  But don't count on it.