Left Neglected by Lisa Genova

Lisa Genova is the author of a riveting book about Alzheimer's called "Still Alice" which I read last year and still think about periodically. I can say that I will also be thinking about "Left Neglected" in the same way months from now.

The title is a "play on words" in my opinion. Our herioine Sarah Nickerson is a 30 something yuppie living the fast life in Boston, Massachessetts. She is married to Bob and has 3 children that keep her busy as well as a very demanding job. In many ways Sarah has "left neglected" areas of her life. She doesn't get to enjoy her family or the second home she and Bob have because she is so busy working to pay for it all.

Fate takes a hand in changing Sarah's perception of the world. On a rainy day She is involved in a traffic accident which leaves her with a serious head injury. When she wakes up 8 days later she finds out she suffers from "left neglect". It is a common condition for people who have suffered damage to the right hemisphere of the brain. Sarah's brain doesn't recognize anything that is on the left side of her. "Left" doesn't exist for her. As a result of this she must spend time in a rehabilitation facility to help her cope with her loss.

I had never heard of such a condition before and it was so interesting to read Sarah's story and find out how this affects her ordinary life. Being forced to concentrate her thoughts on getting well makes her realize that her life has been out of her control for a long time. She also starts to question the life style she and her family have had up until now. She knows if she doesn't return to work soon that they won't be able to afford the style of living they've had. She starts to think that this might not be a bad thing.

I couldn't stop reading Sarah's story because she and her family were such likeable people and you wanted things to end well for them. I won't tell you how it all ends. Read and find out on your own. You definately won't be sorry that you did.