Turn of Mind
A New York Times bestseller, Turn of Mind is a literary thriller about a retired orthopedic surgeon suffering from dementia and accused of killing her best friend. With unmatched patience and a pulsating intensity, Alice LaPlante's debut novel brings us deep into a brilliant woman's deteriorating mind, where the impossibility of recognizing reality can be both a blessing and a curse. When the book opens, Dr. Jennifer White's best friend, Amanda, has been killed, and four fingers surgically removed from her hand. Dr. White is the prime suspect and she herself doesn't know whether she did it. Told in White's own voice, fractured and eloquent, a picture emerges of the surprisingly intimate, complex alliance between these life-long friends--two proud, forceful women who were at times each other's most formidable adversaries. As the investigation into the murder deepens and White's relationships with her live-in caretaker and two grown children intensify, a chilling question lingers: is White's shattered memory preventing her from revealing the truth or helping her hide it? A startling portrait of a disintegrating mind clinging to reality through anger, frustration, shame, and unspeakable loss, Turn of Mind examines the deception and frailty of memory and how it defines our very existence.
BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
I would give this book a solid 3.5. I liked the second half much better than the first half. It is the story of a retired hand surgeon, Jennifer, who is dealing with Alzheimer's disease and the recent murder of her best friend, Amanda. The story is written from Jennifer's point of view who at first was a bit confusing to read. Once I figured out when it was a flashback and who was speaking, the story really picked up. It is filled with several twists which keep you guessing right up until the end. I did not like Amanda at all. It was very hard to feel any sympathy for her. She was a lousy friend to Jennifer. I thought this was going to be a book about a woman living with Alzheimer's and there happens to be a murder in the background. But I actually think it was the other way around:a murder story whose main character has Alzheimer's. The author did a great job writing about the struggles of AD and how the disease takes over your mind. The friendship between Jennifer & Amanda was unusual as was the marriage between Jennifer and her husband. It was all a little sad and strange.
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.