Thursday, April 12, 2018

Three Things About Elsie

three things about elsie
"(Losing your mind is ...) such a silly turn of phrase. It implies it's somehow your fault. It suggests you were being careless, or became distracted along the way and mislaid it somewhere, like a set of house keys, or a Jack Russell terrier. Or a husband, perhaps. Although I suppose losing your mind can prove quite helpful sometimes, because it does hint there is a possibility, however slim, that you may find it again."
From Three Things About Elsie by Joanna Cannon

Wonderful novel about dementia, I suppose, but so much more than that with a heroine whose side you are on all the way. Unexpected endings - in the plural because there's more than one I feel. ****

2 comments:

nick said...

I wouldn't say "losing your mind" implies it's your fault. It just means you've lost normal mental functioning, which is a neurological failure you have no control over. All I can say is, I hope I die before I sink into serious dementia. My mum is gradually losing it and it's very sad.

SmitoniusAndSonata said...

When viewed close to, the process looks more like being taken over by a disruptive stranger than losing track of anything as such.