Helpful Score: 5
Jennifer White is suffering from early on-set Alzheimer's and this books takes you inside her experience with this devastating disease. What it does to her once brilliant mind, her family, and her future, will haunt you.
This is not an easy book to read since it jumps around in time, and the way the author places dialogue in-between Jennifer's thoughts and emotions can be disjointing. But shouldn't it be? Shouldn't it be upsetting and confusing? Since that is the state of Dr. Jennifer White at any give time I believe this topsy-turvy style makes this book riveting.
That and the fact that it is a murder mystery. Jennifer White was once a well respected surgeon, specializing in hands. When her best friend across the street turns up murdered with her fingers expertly removed Dr. White becomes a prime suspect. Did she do it? Was she lucid? Will she remember? And who knows the truth?
This is a great first novel and I highly recommend it for book clubs as there is a lot to discuss.
This is not an easy book to read since it jumps around in time, and the way the author places dialogue in-between Jennifer's thoughts and emotions can be disjointing. But shouldn't it be? Shouldn't it be upsetting and confusing? Since that is the state of Dr. Jennifer White at any give time I believe this topsy-turvy style makes this book riveting.
That and the fact that it is a murder mystery. Jennifer White was once a well respected surgeon, specializing in hands. When her best friend across the street turns up murdered with her fingers expertly removed Dr. White becomes a prime suspect. Did she do it? Was she lucid? Will she remember? And who knows the truth?
This is a great first novel and I highly recommend it for book clubs as there is a lot to discuss.
Helpful Score: 1
Interesting concept, I had a little bit of a hard time following the story, due to the style it was written in, but all in all not bad!
Helpful Score: 1
Found the writing style in this novel took some time to get in the swing of reading but once I did I liked it. It is meaningful since a member of our family has developed alzheimer's disease. Blank spots in the memory, inability to recognize one's loved ones, forgetting familiar routes to habitually frequented places are all part of the telling in addition to the frustration of what is happening.
Adding to the suspense of the story is the murder of the protagonist's best friend, Amanda, whose fingers are removed from one hand and it would appear that she committed the murder but cannot remember it. She was a surgeon who specialized in hands. However, there is no proof that she committed the murder yet the investigators visit with her again and again. An interesting facet is that one of the investigators had a significant other who developed the disease so she understands what is happening.
The mystery of Amanda's death does add to the book. Uncovering what really happened keeps the reader moving through the tale. The author does a fine job of unveiling clues one by one as the book progresses. Good read.
Adding to the suspense of the story is the murder of the protagonist's best friend, Amanda, whose fingers are removed from one hand and it would appear that she committed the murder but cannot remember it. She was a surgeon who specialized in hands. However, there is no proof that she committed the murder yet the investigators visit with her again and again. An interesting facet is that one of the investigators had a significant other who developed the disease so she understands what is happening.
The mystery of Amanda's death does add to the book. Uncovering what really happened keeps the reader moving through the tale. The author does a fine job of unveiling clues one by one as the book progresses. Good read.
Helpful Score: 1
I read this book for my book club... Awesome discussions arose.
This book was not what I expected..In a good way.. Being inside The main character's (Dr. Jennifer White) thoughts was Captivating. "If someone dials 7 numbers I am ok, but 3 numbers it's bad".
This maybe Intentional - While reading you are not sure if the story is present day or past day...
Dementia is a horrible disease and to see how it affects someone's life was attention-grabbing. I give this book 5 stars..
This book was not what I expected..In a good way.. Being inside The main character's (Dr. Jennifer White) thoughts was Captivating. "If someone dials 7 numbers I am ok, but 3 numbers it's bad".
This maybe Intentional - While reading you are not sure if the story is present day or past day...
Dementia is a horrible disease and to see how it affects someone's life was attention-grabbing. I give this book 5 stars..
Very interesting premise to this book - I liked it and would search out another by this author.
Gripping and compelling from the first page to the last. Told in journal entries of Dr. Jennifer White, who began writing the journal to help her remember once she was diagnosed with dementia. We experience her life in the present as her mind deteriorates and learn of her past in pieces and memories. Did she commit this murder? That is part of the mystery, but this is difficult to put down for many reasons. Well done.
TURN OF MIND was the October 2014 pick in my neighborhood book club.
First off, it had one of my biggest reading pet peevesthe absence of quotation marks. None were used in any of the dialogue and it was a huge distraction for me throughout the entire book.
I did find the POV of a surgeon in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's very interesting, and I think it works very well for the first half of the book. But after that it gets tiresome and doesn't really add anything to the story. The narrative was then begging for the POV of one of Dr. Jennifer White's children, who both play a big role in the story.
The plot centers around the ongoing investigation of the murder of Dr. White's best friend, Amanda. The police keep questioning her, as she is their #1 suspectbut she can't remember anything, which makes things pretty interesting and creates enough of a mystery that you'll want to keep turning the pages to find out what actually happened to Amanda, which ended up being a fairly unexpected surprise.
Overall, it could've been better, but I'm glad I read it and look forward to discussing it at our book club meeting. C+
First off, it had one of my biggest reading pet peevesthe absence of quotation marks. None were used in any of the dialogue and it was a huge distraction for me throughout the entire book.
I did find the POV of a surgeon in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's very interesting, and I think it works very well for the first half of the book. But after that it gets tiresome and doesn't really add anything to the story. The narrative was then begging for the POV of one of Dr. Jennifer White's children, who both play a big role in the story.
The plot centers around the ongoing investigation of the murder of Dr. White's best friend, Amanda. The police keep questioning her, as she is their #1 suspectbut she can't remember anything, which makes things pretty interesting and creates enough of a mystery that you'll want to keep turning the pages to find out what actually happened to Amanda, which ended up being a fairly unexpected surprise.
Overall, it could've been better, but I'm glad I read it and look forward to discussing it at our book club meeting. C+
If you have ever known anyone with dementia as I have, this book may be hard to read. If you have never known the daily life of dementia this book will certainly open your eyes. The author has placed a murder in this extremely well written story that will be another aspect for the reader to ponder. One that in real life would not be impossible to prevent. I liked the way this author has written, letting the reader into the mind of the person with dementia. The story, for me was easy to follow. I couldn't put it down so it was finished before I was ready for it to end. It's a serious read so if your looking for something a bit light that will leave you with a smile, then you might want to try something else. If you like something with meat on it's spine then your gonna love this one.
Excellent insight into the mind of someone who suffers from this disease
A genuine tour de force: compelling depiction of the breakdown of a mind and personality, skilful use of the ultimate in unreliable narrators (the narrator who is unreliable, even to herself).
This isn't an easy read. Dr. Jennifer White, once a respected orthopaedic surgeon, has been living with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's for some time, and her condition is deteriorating rapidly. If you are of a "certain age," and you ever misplace your keys, or forget a face, or grope for a familiar word, LaPlante's depiction of the slow slide into dementia is going to be scarier than any horror story written by Stephen King. LaPlante captures the powerlessness, the confusion and the terrible Groundhog Day of grief that Jennifer is suffering -- made all the more poignant by the "good days," when things are a bit clearer, and White sees all too clearly what she has lost.
Then there is the plot. Splintered and jumbled, LaPlante makes clever use of repetition, and the layering of detail to allow the reader to build up, page by page, their own theory of who killed and mutilated Amanda, White's neighbor and friend. I think it's a testimony to LaPlante's skill as a writer that the solution to the mystery felt satisfying , as all the threads of the puzzle were drawn together, but didn't cheapen the real tragedy of all that was happening to Jennifer White by reducing it to a Cluedo-style solution. The solution to what happened to Amanda, and why, is there in the text, if you're paying attention, artlessly -- or not-so-artlessly -- revealed in Jennifer's imperfect memories as they circle around her deteriorating mind.
This isn't an easy read. Dr. Jennifer White, once a respected orthopaedic surgeon, has been living with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's for some time, and her condition is deteriorating rapidly. If you are of a "certain age," and you ever misplace your keys, or forget a face, or grope for a familiar word, LaPlante's depiction of the slow slide into dementia is going to be scarier than any horror story written by Stephen King. LaPlante captures the powerlessness, the confusion and the terrible Groundhog Day of grief that Jennifer is suffering -- made all the more poignant by the "good days," when things are a bit clearer, and White sees all too clearly what she has lost.
Then there is the plot. Splintered and jumbled, LaPlante makes clever use of repetition, and the layering of detail to allow the reader to build up, page by page, their own theory of who killed and mutilated Amanda, White's neighbor and friend. I think it's a testimony to LaPlante's skill as a writer that the solution to the mystery felt satisfying , as all the threads of the puzzle were drawn together, but didn't cheapen the real tragedy of all that was happening to Jennifer White by reducing it to a Cluedo-style solution. The solution to what happened to Amanda, and why, is there in the text, if you're paying attention, artlessly -- or not-so-artlessly -- revealed in Jennifer's imperfect memories as they circle around her deteriorating mind.
TURN OF MIND is a compelling story about a murder investigation that involves a suspect with dementia. The story is told from the point of view of the former orthopedic surgeon whose recollections and interactions are impacted by her declining mind.
