Left Neglected

I found myself actually feeling guilty for laughing out loud through this book. Not that the situation is funny, but the way that Sarah Nickerson adapts to her situation is very funny with her portrayal of a positive role model to a debilitating situation.

There is a very fine line between fiction and non-fiction in Lisa Genova’s latest, Left Neglected. The character of Sarah Nickerson is so well drawn that the reader has to recheck themselves from time to time to know that though Sarah is challenged by a real condition, Sarah herself is a fictional character.

Being the overachieving type A personality that not only has to prove to herself that she is a wonder woman, she must also prove to the world that she can have it all. That is until one day she pushes her multitasking to the breaking point and is injured in a wicked car crash. Upon coming out of her coma she comes to find that the left is no longer recognized by her brain. And it’s the left of anything, the room, a book, a picture, etc. Her appendages are intact; it’s just her brain that will not acknowledge their existence. I actually had to read the description a couple of times to grasp the full description of how this traumatic injury works. But without confusing it anymore, I don’t think that I would do it justice to re-explain it. Fascinating is the word that comes to mind when you read how the brain works, or doesn’t work, in this situation.

With determination and wit, Sarah battles to get back her life. The one where she was in charge, where her career came first and all the other pieces just seemed to find their place. But when push comes to shove and the idea of always having to wear elastic waist pants becomes Sarah’s new normal, she has to question if this is the life that she wants. Is her mother’s reappearing and taking over the child rearing of Sarah’s little peanuts something that she can tolerate? Is her husband’s borderline job going to be enough to see them through? Sometimes we need to find a new normal and whether it’s by choice or by a freak accident we are in a situation and need to make new decision.

Putting ourselves and our children back to a new normal might just be what we all need. Even if it does mean keeping track of utensils when going to the bathroom – OK, you will really need to read the book to get that last part, but it truly was one of the funniest parts of the book, other than the fact that Sarah kept wanting her mother to stand on her left side and needing to mentally write Dear Left Hand messages to her own body.

As I said, it is a funny book, but at the same time it’s uplifting to know what the human spirit can withstand when it needs to.

Even though this is only January, I think this will be one of my favorite books of the year. Sarah will stay with me for a long time, just like Alice Howland did in Still Alice. Great job Lisa Genova.