Lost and Found

Remember all of those things that we were never going to do or say when we had kids?  So does Alice Love.  In fact, that's all she remembers.  Alice fell and bumped her head at a spinning class, and somehow forgot the last 10 years of her life.  When she came to, she thought that she was pregnant with her child who was really in 4th grade.  Alice even forgot that she and her husband were in the process of getting divorced.

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty is the story of Alice, her sister, her mother, and her surrogate grandmother, all of their losses, and how they recover from them.  Alice has lost the most.  She has lost her memory, her marriage, her relationships with everyone who was close to her, and the ideals that she had as a 29 year old mother to be.  39 year old Alice is constantly busy, going from PTA meetings, to the gym, to after school activities, to drinks with her single friends.  After her head injury, Alice can't imagine why she would be doing all of these things, and neglecting the relationships with the people who were important to her.

The first night that I was reading Alice, I couldn't put it down and read almost 100 pages.  The next night I read less, then the next night even less, and so on.  The initial premise of the story was great, and had my attention.  As the story went on though, it became a little predictable.  There were still twists and turns, but the resolution was always in sight.  One nice thing about the story was that it was set in Sydney, Australia.  Hearing about the Christmastime barbecue, and the other reminders of the December summer kept me on my toes.

I read Alice for The Typical Book Group.  We'll discuss it in 10 days, and I'll report back.  All told, I liked it, and would recommend it to someone looking for a lighter read.  Moriarty sold the movie rights, but from what I can see, the movie has gotten lost in development. 

Next Up:  The Mystery of Mercy Close by Marian Keyes

Still Listening to:  Ines of my Soul by Isabel Allende