Still Alice By Lisa Genova Summary

After gaining a PHD in Neuroscience at Harvard University, Lisa Genova has written numerous fiction novels themed around her speciality of Mental Health and targeted at both teenagers and adults. Lisa’s inspiration to write ‘Still Alice’ was for two reasons; firstly distress over witnessing but being incapable of preventing her grandmother being ‘disassembled’ and turned from a vibrant and intelligent woman into someone who neither recognised herself nor her life. Secondly, whilst studying Lisa became fascinated in understanding how a person with Alzheimer’s Disease really feels, but identified the lack of research available to demonstrate the emotional effects. Lisa attempted to rectify this literature gap by writing ‘Still Alice’. The
The story illustrates the social work dilemma of care versus control and how those in mental distress struggle to access their rights of choice and participation in decisions. Lack of inclusion is usually because the individual is deemed ‘incapable’ or their choices are considered poor and pose risk of harm. The author cleverly demonstrated that the mental health label was enough to mean that Alice had to justify her motives to others. At the stage where her mental health was still quite intact, Alice was logically able to articulate her wishes yet she had to argue her case and persuade her doctor that it was safe to prescribe sleeping tablets. In addition John, Alice’s husband, assumed sticking to Alice’s preferences was in her best interests so he contradicted Alice’s request for coffee by stating ‘she’ll have tea with lemon’ when she fancied a change. The book powerfully highlights the desperate attempts mental distressed individuals may take to retain memories as a way to cling onto their identity and rights. The story has a daily ritual of Alice answering personal questions which she should know the answers to. The list is written in an alternative font and under the guise of a butterfly includes guidance on committing suicide should Alice fail the task. The change of font is a technique which stresses
I liked how it is obvious that the author has done research on gender inequality by correctly confirming that women are particular vulnerable to mental distress. The author addresses this fact by not only depicting the person with mental distress depicted as a woman, but also stressing the point by only having 2 male residents in a residential home housing 32 people. Furthermore, the author acknowledges gender role expectation as Lydia becomes Alice’s primary carer as John was adamant that he needed to maintain his career due to being the breadwinner. I enjoyed the suspense of wondering whether John will take the job in New Year. The author let the reader believe the worse of John assuming that he will take Alice from everything she knows for his own gains. Although I was pleased to be proved wrong, I was angry that John had left Lydia in charge of caring for Alice so that he could take the promotion. I could relate with Alice’s feelings as I felt that John was being selfish, abandoning Alice and putting his own needs before the wife he promised to ‘cherish in sickness in health’. Nevertheless, on reflection I can sympathise with John’s inability to accept his losses. It was evident how much John loved Alice so he must be distraught seeing his ‘soulmate’ disappear and being unable to prevent