starchy reviewed Still Alice by Lisa Genova
An important but not unproblematic book for the AD community
3 stars
Still Alice provides a believable and insightful view into what it's like to live with Alzheimer's Disease, specifically early-onset, or for someone in your family to come down with it, but it's hard to recommend without some big caveats.
First, the prose is often just... bad. Clumsy, forced metaphors, cliches everywhere, leaving nothing to the reader -- you name it. Second, the protagonist and her family are dripping with unexamined privilege, making them much harder to sympathize with even as their lives collapse. Finally, I kept spotting some uncomfortable expressions of ableism in the way things like addiction, mental illness, and intelligence were discussed, even as the book strives so hard to generate empathy for those with AD.
And yet, it's very successful, even powerful in this mission. Just don't go in expecting much more.
One other side note: the scientific consensus has changed a lot (and if anything, become …
Still Alice provides a believable and insightful view into what it's like to live with Alzheimer's Disease, specifically early-onset, or for someone in your family to come down with it, but it's hard to recommend without some big caveats.
First, the prose is often just... bad. Clumsy, forced metaphors, cliches everywhere, leaving nothing to the reader -- you name it. Second, the protagonist and her family are dripping with unexamined privilege, making them much harder to sympathize with even as their lives collapse. Finally, I kept spotting some uncomfortable expressions of ableism in the way things like addiction, mental illness, and intelligence were discussed, even as the book strives so hard to generate empathy for those with AD.
And yet, it's very successful, even powerful in this mission. Just don't go in expecting much more.
One other side note: the scientific consensus has changed a lot (and if anything, become less clear) in the years since Still Alice was published, so be sure to read the otherwise well informed discussion of AD mechanisms with a grain of salt.
