Sunday, April 22, 2012

Turn of Mind - Alice LaPlante

Turn of Mind - Alice LaPlante (2012)

We meet Jennifer Lake in the early stages of her dementia.  Forced to retire as an orthopedic surgeon, she is living in her home with a caregiver, with her two children visiting occasionally.  Her best friend has been found murdered, with several fingers surgically removed, and all signs pointing to Jennifer, however she has no memory of attacking her friend.

We get to learn about Jennifers shifting perceptions and I thought she did a good job of describing the experience of a dementia patient, and the changing reality that can occur from day to day and throughout the day itself.  Her relationship with her children is also troubled and brother and sister do not get along, and are mistrustful of each others motives.

A 4/5 - worth reading, especially as I get older this sort of story does scare me.  Who would care for me in similar circumstances?  How would I afford it?

1 comment:

Camp Stanhope Happenings said...

You can come and stay with us--when/if you need to! But you'll need to bring Poppy, too! (My grandmother actually suffered from this for about 8 years, 6 of which were in the nursing home...sad.)