If Liane Moriarty captured your attention with her novel “Big Little Lies” or its popular TV adaptation, you’ll be excited to learn that her other novels are equally as thrilling. Her writing is filled with mysteries that as a reader, we become very eager to solve. “What Alice Forgot” is no exception, and is even more intriguing because the main character, Alice, is as desperate as we are to uncover the truth.
Twenty-nine-year-old Alice’s life is going quite well: she has a husband she adores, a brand-new house, and her first baby on the way. The future is something she looks towards optimistically; she just didn’t expect for it to hit her so fast. When she wakes up on the floor of a gym with the past ten years completely erased from her memory, she discovers that the future definitely did not go as planned.
What I love about this novel is that you get to discover who Alice is while she is rediscovering herself. And what happens when she doesn’t like what she finds? Her life as a 39-year-old near-divorcee and mom of three kids (that she’s doesn’t remember) is not as shiny as her past. Not only has the world around her changed, but it becomes apparent that all the life and tragedy that can be packed into ten years has the power to change people monumentally as well. With the discovery of all that is different, she gets a second chance to build a better version of herself and her life.
The novel is beautifully written, and Moriarty is clearly talented at crafting deep and relatable characters. Alice’s sister is among the most intriguing characters, and we gain insight into her life every few chapters when the novel flips to her journal entries. Similarly, Alice’s quasi-grandmother is revealed through her letters to an old lover. It’s fascinating to be introduced to these characters through Alice’s perspective, and while she is extremely shocked to see how different they are, she is able to uncover all the forces that caused these changes.
If you’re looking for something that will keep you on the edge of your seat cover to cover, then you won’t be able to put this book down. Moriarty keeps you guessing right up to the end, but it’s well worth the wait. The novel perfectly combines emotion, humor, and drama, while also being extremely thought provoking about the ways we change and grow as people.
Cover Photo: Off The Shelf
About Renee Bunszel
Renee Bunszel is a sophomore from the Bay Area, and an English major and SLAMM minor. Renee loves reading, writing, and eating all the delicious food in New Orleans!
Renee Bunszel is a sophomore from the Bay Area, and an English major and SLAMM minor. Renee loves reading, writing, and eating all the delicious food in New Orleans!
