Turn of Mind
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Review
`This morbidly funny page-turner will have you guessing until the end' --She Magazine
'A spiralling descent into loss and deceit that leaves the reader breathless. Chilling, memorable and heartbreaking.' --Val McDermid
`As the narrator's mind is devoured by dementia, she struggles to remember the extent of her involvement in her best friend's murder. LaPlante's characters are completely convincing, the plotting masterful' --Donna Leon
`Really terrific - ambitious, clever and human' --Nicci French
`Wonderful. This harrowing exploration of the slow disintegration of the mind is deeply touching and utterly heartbreaking, while also being a compelling page-turner. I loved it' --S.J. Watson, author of Before I Go to Sleep
`A powerfully affecting novel' --Easy Living
`This stunning debut is gripping, dark and not for the faint-hearted.' --Red Magazine
`Highly sophisticated and exquisitely written' --Daily Mirror
`Turn of Mind is an incredibly powerful novel, handled with an infinite amount of care and sensitivity that entertains and educates from beginning to end' --Milosrambles.com
`This is a beautifully-written book with a dark mystery at its heart' --The Bookbag
`a superb and convincing portrait of a highly intelligent person who is trying to retain her sense of self'...'moving, surprisingly funny in places and utterly gripping.' --Guardian
`Turn of Mind is a difficult read emotionally, but more than justifies the reader's investment with its sublime writing and pitch-perfect plotting. As a drama it is scintillating, but transcends the boundaries of a mere thriller with a stunning exploration of a devastating illness. This is a book of tremendous value.'
`In terms of examining mental illness, it is easily on a par with The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.' --Bookgeeks.co.uk
`accomplished thriller...Turn of Mind is an incisive, humane exploration of how we can rail against our need for close relationships with others, feeling that they undermine our independence, even as we keep coming back for more.' --TLS
`It sounds like an impossible task: to write a murder mystery from the perspective of a suspect with Alzheimer's. And yet Alice LaPlante pulls it off and with some flair...Unforgettable.' --Observer
'A spiralling descent into loss and deceit that leaves the reader breathless. Chilling, memorable and heartbreaking.' --Val McDermid
`As the narrator's mind is devoured by dementia, she struggles to remember the extent of her involvement in her best friend's murder. LaPlante's characters are completely convincing, the plotting masterful' --Donna Leon
`Really terrific - ambitious, clever and human' --Nicci French
`Wonderful. This harrowing exploration of the slow disintegration of the mind is deeply touching and utterly heartbreaking, while also being a compelling page-turner. I loved it' --S.J. Watson, author of Before I Go to Sleep
`A powerfully affecting novel' --Easy Living
`This stunning debut is gripping, dark and not for the faint-hearted.' --Red Magazine
`Highly sophisticated and exquisitely written' --Daily Mirror
`Turn of Mind is an incredibly powerful novel, handled with an infinite amount of care and sensitivity that entertains and educates from beginning to end' --Milosrambles.com
`This is a beautifully-written book with a dark mystery at its heart' --The Bookbag
`a superb and convincing portrait of a highly intelligent person who is trying to retain her sense of self'...'moving, surprisingly funny in places and utterly gripping.' --Guardian
`Turn of Mind is a difficult read emotionally, but more than justifies the reader's investment with its sublime writing and pitch-perfect plotting. As a drama it is scintillating, but transcends the boundaries of a mere thriller with a stunning exploration of a devastating illness. This is a book of tremendous value.'
`In terms of examining mental illness, it is easily on a par with The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.' --Bookgeeks.co.uk
`accomplished thriller...Turn of Mind is an incisive, humane exploration of how we can rail against our need for close relationships with others, feeling that they undermine our independence, even as we keep coming back for more.' --TLS
`It sounds like an impossible task: to write a murder mystery from the perspective of a suspect with Alzheimer's. And yet Alice LaPlante pulls it off and with some flair...Unforgettable.' --Observer
Review
"For those of a certain age, death is far less frightening then dementia, the central issue of this brilliant debut. Told in the first person by a physician slowly descending into darkness, Turn of Mind is relentless and chilling."
"--The Globe and Mail"
"LaPlante does a great job of building suspense, finishing with a twist that most won't anticipate. Beyond being just a satisfying summer read, this book is an examination of a long, complicated friendship, and the capacity of two people who love each other to hurt each other, too."
--"Maclean's"
""The Stone Angel" meets "Memento." . . . A smart, strong debut novel. . . . Timely and compelling."
"--Winnipeg Free Press"
"LaPlante has created an unforgettable portrait of the process of forgetting."
"--The Washington Post"
"Artful, ambitious and arresting."
"--San Francisco Chronicle"
"An impressive first novel."
"--Publishers Weekly "
" "
""Fascinating on so many levels.
Inside This Book
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
I read the first few pages of this book and almost decided not to read on, as the style of writing was not one I would normally like in what I had assumed to be a murder mystery. Flipping forward through the book I could see that this was not just in the first chapter but that the apparently disjointed first person style continued. However I stuck with it and quickly became drawn in to the story. I realised that the style was actually necessary to the subject matter, as it was narrated by a woman declining with Alzheimer's disease. It felt as if the author really understood the journey that a sufferer of this disease experiences and if she does not have first hand knowledge then she has fooled me!
The result is multi-layered: a tragic story of a previously highly intelligent woman with a worsening condition but with flashes of memory that add great poignancy to her situation; and a gripping murder mystery. The first plays to all our darkest fears of losing our minds and memory, the sheer indignities of old age and the loss of self. The second is, from the start, not as straightforward as the story suggests, and you are unlikely to be too surprised at the ending.
In reality, what grips you and makes you keep turning the page is not the murder theme at all but the need to watch this woman's decline, as much as you want to turn away from it. You almost feel like a voyeur but cannot leave it alone. I realise this may be a very personal reaction but for me this was above all a human tragedy, where all of our younger lives and hopes and dreams are invested in this character and we empathise with her loss while dreading her fate. I am not sure where the publisher or Amazon will categorise this book but it is not a mystery/thriller and will not necessarily please those who search that genre. It is literary fiction.
The result is multi-layered: a tragic story of a previously highly intelligent woman with a worsening condition but with flashes of memory that add great poignancy to her situation; and a gripping murder mystery. The first plays to all our darkest fears of losing our minds and memory, the sheer indignities of old age and the loss of self. The second is, from the start, not as straightforward as the story suggests, and you are unlikely to be too surprised at the ending.
In reality, what grips you and makes you keep turning the page is not the murder theme at all but the need to watch this woman's decline, as much as you want to turn away from it. You almost feel like a voyeur but cannot leave it alone. I realise this may be a very personal reaction but for me this was above all a human tragedy, where all of our younger lives and hopes and dreams are invested in this character and we empathise with her loss while dreading her fate. I am not sure where the publisher or Amazon will categorise this book but it is not a mystery/thriller and will not necessarily please those who search that genre. It is literary fiction.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
Written from the viewpoint of Jennifer, a middle-aged victim of Alzheimer's this is very different from the usual "whodunnit". Amanda, her best friend, has been found murdered and the fact that Jennifer was a skilled surgeon whose friendship with Amanda was often turbulent, is enough to make Jennifer the prime suspect. The police are convinced she is guilty but Jennifer cannot remember what she did yesterday, never mind whether or not she is responsible for the crime. As the Alzheimer's tightens its grip, Jennifer's memories become more fragmented as she peels back the layers of a complex friendship.
Turn of Mind is written in very short paragraphs, italics being used when a character other than Jennifer is speaking. It isn't always clear exactly who is speaking, and I often had to flip back a couple of passages to determine who was who. This is certainly not a page-turner in the usual sense of a murder mystery, but it's well-written and the author convincingly conveys what it must be like to suffer from this horrible disease.
Overall I did enjoy this book and will probably look out for future novels by Alice La Plante.
Turn of Mind is written in very short paragraphs, italics being used when a character other than Jennifer is speaking. It isn't always clear exactly who is speaking, and I often had to flip back a couple of passages to determine who was who. This is certainly not a page-turner in the usual sense of a murder mystery, but it's well-written and the author convincingly conveys what it must be like to suffer from this horrible disease.
Overall I did enjoy this book and will probably look out for future novels by Alice La Plante.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
This book is clever, not a madly exciting page turner but complex enough to keep you hooked to the end. The author has chosen to use an alzheimer's sufferer as the principle character; an odd choice that seems to work well. As the alzheimer's takes hold, more and more of her relationship with the murder victim, also her best friend, becomes exposed. It's a strong concept which the author tackles bravely but; I did find her getting as lost as her lead character from time to time. The plot isn't fast, or particularly tense, and the story comes to a halt on more than one occasion where, I found myself scanning rather than reading. However; "Turn of Mind" is beautifully crafted, stylish and a modern murder "whodunnit". A breath of fresh air when compared to the foul mouthed, super violent crime thrillers around at the moment. I was never overly excited by Turn of Mind but I haven't read anything in this style before and I quite enjoyed it overall.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Memory loss or convenient alibi?
This certainly is a crime novel with a difference. An intricate study into the effects of Alzheimers on the thought processes of a highly intelligent, once brilliant surgeon, Turn... Read more
Published 16 days ago by Melanie Pratt
Thrilling debut
This is a stunning and well written debut novel. The book is atmospheric and suspenseful. I found it hard to put down and a real page turner. Read more
Published 2 months ago by dali
Stunning debut
I very much enjoyed this book. It paints what certainly looks like an accurate picture of what it is like to be a dementia sufferer. Read more
Published 8 months ago by DebbieB
Turn of Mind
This book is written from the viewpoint of Jennifer, who has Alzheimer's. The way its written is not that easy to follow but once you get used to it, it begins to make sense... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Bookworm
A really sad, thought provoking debut
This story centres around Jennifer who has dementia. She's 65 and is accused of murdering her best friend but does she remember? Read more
Published 8 months ago by A. Douglas
Must be good I remeber it after a month
Once you get used to reading in the first person this is a really good book. The police are convinced that Jennifer has killed her best friend Amanda, believing that if they keep... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Jax
Blown away...
I was quite blown away by this book - read it in a couple of sittings and found it incredibly compelling. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Welsh Annie
Minding the Gaps
The proof copy I have of 'Turn of Mind' touts it as a murder mystery, and as such it has a compelling premise. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Quicksilver
i like this...
because its different , the writing style is from the main suspects point of veiw and she has dementia and can remember half her lfe. Read more
Published 10 months ago by gadget girl
An unusual murder mystery
Dr Jennifer White's best friend Amanda O'Toole has been found murdered, some fingers have been removed and are missing, the police question Jennifer but struggle to get answers as... Read more
Published 11 months ago by C. Bannister
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