When Doris is found directing traffic in the middle of the night, her daughter Jessica is forced to put her in a home. Clearing out the family house in preparation for selling it, Jessica comes across secrets her mother kept from her long before her memory began to erode under Alzheimer's Disease. The knowledge Jessica uncovers as the family secrets are revealed and past memories are stirred, is fleshed out by the revelations Doris herself provides as her story unravels backwards. But the biggest secret of all is only brought to light when a medical research programme requires blood samples. BACK COVER The secret has been safely kept for sixty years, but now it's on the edge of exposure. Doris Mannering once made a choice that changed the course of her family's life. The secret was safely buried, but now with the onset of Alzheimer's her mind is wandering. She is haunted by the feeling that she must find the papers before it's too late, but she just can't remember…Jessica is driven to despair by her mother's endless searching. But it's not until lives are in jeopardy that she consents to Doris going into a residential home. As Jessica begins clearing the family home, bittersweet memories and unexpected discoveries await her. But these pale into insignificance against the bombshell her lawyer lover, Aaron, hands her. REVIEWS Hazel McHaffie has an extraordinary ability to create the convincing inner voice of a person with severe dementia. The result is often both funny and poignant. She raises emotional and ethical issues not as theoretical 'thin' cases, but within the richly characterised world of the novel… a good read from start to finish. PROFESSOR TONY HOPE This moving book will resonate with anyone who has 'lost' a loved one through the living death of Alzheimer's. SIR CLIFF RICHARD OBE It provides an amazing insight into the thought process of someone with dementia, as well as being a gripping and heartfelt narrative. JOURNAL OF DEMENTIA CARE This novel, I'm sure, will resonate deeply with family members and carers trying to cope wit this most distressing condition. Recommended. WWW.THEBOOKBAG.COM
