Many thanks to NetGalley, Scribner, and Robin Wasserman for the opportunity to read and review this book. 4 stars for an intriguing book that will certainly activate all that gray matter in your brain! This is a somewhat complicated read, both with the massive amount of information given on memory as well as the way it is written. But stick with it - it's definitely worth it!
Mother, daughter, widow, wife - all various roles women play in our lives. But are those how we define ourselves or how others define us? And what does it cost us to put ourselves in those different roles? We are presented with 3 female characters in this book: Wendy Doe - a woman who took a bus to Philadelphia and is in a state of fugue amnesia - she has no recollection of her past and no memories whatsoever. Wendy's chapters are told in the past timeframe. Lizzie is the graduate student working for the esteemed Benjamin Strauss at his memory clinic. Wendy Doe is her research subject. We hear Lizzie's voice in the past as she's working with Wendy and in the present as Elizabeth, the widow. Alice is Wendy's daughter - we hear from her in the present time.
With me so far? This is a wonderful character study of women and their roles, their self-esteem, and how they change to fit men's ideals of them. It's definitely one of those books that makes you think - it's not an easy, breezy read. But it would be a wonderful bookclub selection.
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