“Elizabeth is Missing” by Emma Healey – The Answers in the Past

Detective novels generally follow rather capable protagonists, even if some of them are doomed on occasion or ridden with numerous flaws and such; their minds are, in an overwhelming majority of cases, intact.

When a detective story takes a turn like Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey does, things get quite interesting indeed.

In this story, were presented with an aging grandmother as a protagonist, and her dementia is progressively getting worse. She is convinced that her best friend Elizabeth is missing and in grave danger, but due to her condition none around her will listen, prompting her to take off on a solo journey to do what she believes needs to be done.

And so, she plunges to depths she never knew existed in her own past, going on the final adventure of her lifetime and perhaps learning the answers to questions which have plagued her for so long.

Though the novel is certainly a detective story which presents us with a clear mystery and sleuth, it really ends up being more of a meditation on the power of our memories and the concept of personal identity.

The protagonist's waning mental capabilities add a rather intriguing layer of confusion to the whole thing, allowing us to experience the incessant doubt alongside the brave heroine of this story.

There certainly is plenty of emphasis placed on the mystery itself and there are quite a few twists and turns in this odyssey into the past that will keep providing new and fresh possibilities in terms of development.

You'll never really know quite what to expect, especially with the character's boundaries between reality and illusion being slowly broken down and fading away. The characters themselves in this story deserve an entirely separate praise, with the important ones being acutely-described inside out, allowing you to get acquainted with them on a rather profound level.

All in all, Elizabeth is Missing is an enthralling and unusual detective mystery, one that will keep you guessing up until the very end all while feeding you plenty of food for thought in regards to your own identity, memory, and aging.

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Emma Healey Personal site Emma Healey is a British author who has just recently made her entrance onto the scene, having first earned a degree in book-binding, and then an MA in Creative Writing: Prose at the UEA. Her first, and so far only novel is Elizabeth is Missing.