Book info

• Title Left Neglected
• Author Lisa Genova
• Year 2011
• Genre Contemporary

The moving second novel from the author of international hit Still Alice, which explores the life of a woman struck by a brain disorder, Left Neglect. 'I think some small part of me knew I was living an unsustainable life. Every now and then, it would whisper, slow down. You don't need all this.' Sarah Nickerson has it all: a high-flying career, a loving husband and children, a second home. But does she have time to enjoy it? Too busy to pay full attention, can she see what's left neglected? One fateful day while driving to work, Sarah looks away from the road for one second too long. In the blink of an eye, her overfull life comes to a screeching halt. In the wake of a devastating accident that affects her body and mind in surprising ways, it's time for her to choose: who does she really want to be?

Thoughts

I love Genova’s writing. Usually, as in this case, her books are introducing me to conditions I’ve never even heard of, but even where conditions are more well known, there’s an empathy and a realism about the writing that puts you right at the heart of the family involved.

This story is about Left Neglect, a neurological condition that means the brain is incapable of registering the left hand side. It must be so hard to describe and deal with, and yet reading the book my heart absolutely went out to Sarah and I felt like I could feel what she was going through.

It’s also good to read about the extended family - that life doesn’t always just stop because there’s been a big diagnosis for someone, and that people don’t always get happy endings or have endless amounts of sympathy and support. It’s just refreshing to read these stories, optimism but realism in equal measure.

Rating: 4 / 5