Still Alice by Lisa Genova - A Novel About Alzheimer's Disease

I continue to search for books on the spiritual aspect of Alzheimer's Disease since my mother suffers from the malady. This is the best novel I have read on the subject; most of what I read is nonfiction. Written from the perspective of a women diagnosed with early Alzheimer's, the story shows the emotional toll on the patient and the family. Alice, a college professor, tries to keep some control of her life as she finds her memory slipping away.

The stubborn husband and loving daughters discover the heartache and burden of caring for an Alzheimer's wife and mother. The novel portrays the characters and their struggles realistically and is one of the best accounts I have read of the process.

To me, the most poignant part of the novel was Alice's planned suicide when she felt the disease had progressed far enough. She visited her doctor and, without his knowledge, stockpiled enough pills to use. She methodically wrote herself notes on where to find the pills later when her memory would have failed her.

Later, she did find the note with her suicide plans. She was distracted from her task, however. When she returned, she couldn't remember what she was previously doing or why. That was the end of that escape route. How ironic that her loss of memory, the result of her disease, is what kept her alive. Is this a sad or good thing? The reader is left to decide.

I found myself disappointed in the inability of the woman to follow through on her suicidal pact. Others might feel differently. All will feel the pain of the person afflicted with a life-threatening memory-erasing illness. All will be asked to decide what makes us who we are. The character, despite her loss, claims she is "Still Alice," as in the title of the novel. On a spiritual level, this story forces us, once again, to assess our view of life and death. Alice allows us to consider when we are no longer "still" the person we are today. How do we define ourselves?

Is my Mom, with her loss of yesterday and, on some days, even the recognition of her family, still the same person? I'm not sure. I do not know what is going on in her speechless world. I do know there are moments when she is very clear and very aware. At those times, I am clear that she is "Still Mom." At what point does she, do we, become someone else? That is never answered in the novel, nor in my experience, but the novel presents a hopeful, although emotional view. The reality is much less clear.