Turn of Mind: Summary and book reviews of Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante, plus links to an excerpt from Turn of Mind and a biography of Alice LaPlante.
Turn of Mind
by Alice LaPlante
Hardcover: Jul 2011,
320 pages.
Paperback: 27 May 2012,
320 pages.
Turn of Mind, a literary page-turner about a retired orthopedic surgeon suffering from dementia and accused of killing her best friend, was a New York Times hardcover bestsellerand named a Best Book of the Year by Newsday, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and Kirkus Reviews.
When Dr. Jennifer White's best friend, Amanda, is found dead with four of her fingers surgically removed, Dr. White is the prime suspect. But she herself doesn't know whether she did it. Told in White's own voice, fractured and eloquent, a picture emerges of the surprisingly intimate, complex alliance between these life-long friends—two proud, forceful women who were at times each other's most formidable adversary. As the investigation into the murder deepens and White's relationships with her live-in caretaker and two grown children intensify, a chilling question lingers: is White's shattered memory preventing her from revealing the truth or helping her to hide it?
A startling portrait of a disintegrating mind clinging to bits of reality through anger, frustration, shame, and unspeakable loss, Turn of Mind is a remarkable debut that examines the deception and frailty of memory and how it defines our very existence.
This was truly a book I couldn't put down, read in two sittings on the eve of the first anniversary of my mother's death from Alzheimer's complications. I had only brief glimpses of what my mother's reality was like as I tracked her decline from a distance. This book filled in the blanks for me - at alternating times tearful, joyful, and humorous. The writing is so skillfully done that the story flowed seamlessly from beginning to end. I'll remember this book not only for the writer's expertise but also for bringing me greater understanding of the last years of my mother's life (Judy G). (Reviewed by BookBrowse First Impression Reviewers).
San Francisco Chronicle
Artful, ambitious, and arresting.
Boston Globe
Rare... LaPlante's fine novel is both lyrical and shocking.
Chicago Tribune
A stunning act of imagination.
The Daily Beast
One of the most indelible I have read in years - I was stunned, silent, and shaken.
Vanity Fair
[An] un-putdownable page turner... Combines murder mystery with family drama, bringing new meaning to the term 'psychological thriller.'
The Washington Post Book World
Gripping... Skillful... Unique... [A] compelling whodunit... LaPlante has created an unforgettable portrait of the process of forgetting.
The New York Times Book Review
To call Turn of Mind a thriller - or a chronicle of illness, or a saga of friendship for that matter - would confine it to a genre it transcends. This is a portrait of an unstable mind, an expansive, expertly wrought imagining of memory’s failures and potential. ...Vivid ...Haunting and original.
San Jose Mercury News
Engrossing... Exhilarating... A page-turning mystery.
Chicago Sun-Times
Brilliant... Pitch-perfect.
More
This dazzlingly adroit debut novel is full of suspense, rueful humor, and scalpel-sharp insights into the intricacies of love and friendship - as well as the resilience of the human spirit.
Los Angeles Times
Creates a startling range and texture of fear. From agonizing, slow-motion-car-crash moments to the ironic frissons of a good horror movie, [LaPlante] hits every bell. ...The complexity never fades... The razor sharp quality of [Jennifer's] thoughts, even at their most fragmented, gives her entire ordeal a Twilight Zone feel. Up until the final stages of the disease, she still somehow manages to retain the quality of a lone sane person adrift in a world that definitely isn't.
People
This poignant debut immerses us in dementia's complex choreography. ...[A] lyrical mosaic, an indelible portrait of a disappearing mind. 4 Stars.
Library Journal
Starred Review. Heartbreaking and stunning, this is both compelling and painful to read.
Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Mystery fans should be prepared for a subtle literary novel in which the unfolding of Jennifer's condition and of her past matters far more than the whodunit.
Booklist
Starred Review. Haunting... This masterfully written debut is fascinating on so many levels, from its poignant and inventive depiction of a harrowing illness to its knowing portrayal of the dark complexities of friendship and marriage.
Kirkus Reviews
Starred Review. A haunting story masterfully told.
Colin Harrison, author of Afterburn and Risk
Hey readers, Alice LaPlante has arrived. Turn of Mind features a crazy-smart narrator in a gripping family drama that is itself a brilliant murder mystery. LaPlante possesses both the wild audacity to attempt such a tour-de-force and the pure talent to pull it off. Totally compelling, dark and yet at moments also darkly funny, completely unforgettable. Lord knows what LaPlante will write next. I can't wait.
Ann Packer, author of The Dive from Clausen's Pier.
An electrifying book, impossible to put down. Gripping, thought-provoking, humane, funny, tragic, it is masterfully done, a tour de force that can't be a first novel - and yet it is. I'll read whatever LaPlante writes next, and the sooner the better.
Recent Reader Reviews
Rated of 5
by Erin G Gripping and original This was an engrossing and suspenseful read, despite the fact that the main character wasn't particularly likeable. Watching a respected physician lose her mental integrity, her memories, and her ability to care for herself was tragic; that she... Read More
Rated of 5
by Karen R Hard to put down! A riveting story of a highly accomplished woman, Dr. Jennifer White, succumbing to the ravages of Alzheimer's Disease. The writing style is original; the story told thru Dr. White's eyes, whose reality changes from day to day, minute to minute. It... Read More
Rated of 5
by Karen R Riveting! A riveting story of a highly accomplished woman, Dr. Jennifer White, succumbing to the ravages of Alzheimer's Disease. The writing style is original; the story told thru Dr. White's eyes, whose reality changes from day to day, minute to minute. It... Read More
Rated of 5
by julie Turn of Mind Turn of Mind was an intriguing look into the horror of dementia. It was very interesting, though unsettling, to read about Jennifer's descent into a world where nothing is familiar. The author realistically portrayed the progression of the... Read More
Rated of 5
by skasybot Revealing glimpse into dementia I admired the author's skill in allowing the reader to enter the mind of her main character Dr. Jennifer White as she progressively deteriorated into dementia. It was horrifying to share with Jennifer her initial awareness of her disease. At first... Read More
Rated of 5
by Eileen L What a page turner! I LOVED this book, and I rarely say that about any book. The plot is intricate and grabs you immediately, the characters are fascinating, and the entire story is flawless in its delivery. I read it in a weekend and have done nothing but recommend... Read More
Alice LaPlante's debut novel, Turn of Mind has received an overwhelming amount of praise and has been selected by Indie Booksellers for the July 2011 Indie Next List.
Though this is her first novel, LaPlante is certainly no stranger to writing. For over 20 years she has worked as an award-winning journalist, a corporate editorial consultant (for IBM, HP, Oracle, Microsoft, Sun, Deloitte, Symantec, and Palm, among others), and has taught writing at the university level. She has written for Forbes ASAP, BusinessWeek, ComputerWorld, InformationWeek, and Discover, in addition to many other national publications, and she currently teaches creative writing at San Francisco State University and Stanford University, where she was awarded a Wallace Stegner Fellowship and held a Jones Lectureship. She has a B.A. in Rhetoric and an MBA from the University of Illinois in Urbana.
LaPlante is the author (or co-author) of the following books:
Keeper is a fiercely honest "glimpse into the dementia abyss" - an endlessly engrossing meditation on memory and the mind, on family, and on a society that is largely indifferent to the far-reaching ravages of this baffling disease.
These are 2 of the 4 readalike suggestions for Turn of Mind. Members have full access to all readalikes. If you are a member, please login. To find out more about membership, click here.
The first biography of Clarence Birdseye, the eccentric genius inventor whose fast-freezing process revolutionized the food industry and American agriculture.
BookExpo America will broadcast live author appearances for the first time(May 24 2012) For the first time, BookExpo America is making author appearances at the show available for viewing online live or on demand, via Livestream. It is...
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(891 words).
San Francisco Chronicle
Colin Harrison, author of Afterburn and Risk
of 5
by Erin G
of 5
by Karen R
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