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Left Neglected

Bookreporter.com Bets On...

Left Neglected

January 2011

LEFT NEGLECTED is by Lisa Genova, who many of you will remember as the author of STILL ALICE,a favorite book of mine from two years ago. In fact, it was one of my first Bets On Picks, making Lisa Genova our first Bets On repeat author. LEFT NEGLECTED is just as brilliant. In it, Sarah Nickerson had a busy life --- a husband, three kids (one a baby), a high-powered job, and a long commute where she always tried to fit in one more thing. Well, she’s flying down the Mass Pike headed to work one morning multitasking, making a call on her cell phone, when she looks up and sees a string of red lights in front of her --- stopped traffic. She cannot stop and rolls her car.

When she awakens, Sarah realizes she does not recognize the entire left side of her body --- something called left neglect, hence the title of the book. Once again, Genova has brought readers a compelling story, and I dare you to pick up your BlackBerry to text or make a call without being hands-free while driving once you finish it. Mine’s been buried in my handbag as soon as I turn on the ignition to hide any temptation to read a text! To me, the title also reflects what Sarah has left neglected in her own life over the past years. In rushing, she has missed taking time for a lot of things that matter. Lisa has a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Harvard, which informs her writing on what happens with the brain. That said, the story here is never bogged down with science, but as she did with her writing about Alzheimer’s in STILL ALICE, you will finish reading LEFT NEGLECTED and have a better understanding of left neglect besides enjoying a full, rich story.

Left Neglected
by Lisa Genova

  • Publication Date: January 4, 2011
  • Genres: Fiction
  • Hardcover: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Gallery
  • ISBN-10: 1439164630
  • ISBN-13: 9781439164631