ELIZABETH IS MISSING
Maud is forgetful. She makes a cup of tea and
doesn’t remember to drink it. She goes to the shops
and forgets why she went. Sometimes her home is
unrecognizable—or her daughter, Helen, seems a
total stranger.
But there’s one thing Maud is sure of: her friend
Elizabeth is missing. The note in her pocket tells
her so. And no matter who tells her to stop going
on about it, to leave it alone, to shut up, Maud will get to the bottom of it.
Maud is forgetful. She makes a cup of tea and
doesn’t remember to drink it. She goes to the shops
and forgets why she went. Sometimes her home is
unrecognizable—or her daughter, Helen, seems a
total stranger.
But there’s one thing Maud is sure of: her friend
Elizabeth is missing. The note in her pocket tells
her so. And no matter who tells her to stop going
on about it, to leave it alone, to shut up, Maud will get to the bottom of it.
Because somewhere in Maud’s damaged mind lies the answer to an
unsolved seventy-year-old mystery. One everyone has forgotten about.
Everyone, except Maud . . .
A page-turning story of suspense, Elizabeth Is Missing hauntingly reminds
us that we are all at the mercy of our memory. Always compelling, often
poignant, and at times even blackly witty, this is an absolutely unforgettable
novel.
- Harper Perennial
- Paperback
- June 2015
- 320 Pages
- 9780062309686
Buy the Book
$15.99
About Emma Healey
Emma Healey holds a degree in bookbinding and
an MA in creative writing. Elizabeth Is Missing is her first novel. She lives
in the United Kingdom.
Praise
“[A] spellbinding first novel.”—New York Times Book Review
“[A] knockout debut. . . . Ms. Healey’s audacious conception and formidable
talent combine in a bravura performance that sustains its momentum and
pathos to the last.”—Wall Street Journal
“Elizabeth is Missing will stir and shake you.”—Emma Donoghue
“Ingeniously structured and remarkably poignant, Elizabeth is Missing is a
riveting story of friendship and loss that will have you compulsively puzzling
fact from fiction as you race to the last page.”—Kimberly McCreight,
New York Times bestselling author of Reconstructing Amelia
Discussion Questions
What interesting and complex narrative effects result from
the narrator having such difficulty with her memory?
How does the consistent shift from present to past affect
the telling of the story? How does the author transition
between them?
In Chapter 1 there are several allusions to Little Red Riding Hood. In
what ways might this fairy tale be relevant to the story?
Carla, one of Maud’s caregivers, often tells of horrible crimes she’s read about
in the news. What does this add to the novel? How does it affect Maud?
What is the difference between something or someone being missing,
lost, or gone? Consider various points of view.
In what relevant ways does the war—and all the lengthy separations it
causes—affect the people and relationships in the novel?
What is the importance and effect of “the mad woman” throughout
the novel?
Both Douglas and Frank seemingly have moments of menace and
kindness. Compare and contrast them.
In Chapter 10, Maud, having forgotten what room she was headed to,
says, “I must be going mad.” Compare and contrast her with “the mad
woman.”
What does the subject of Maud’s childhood illness add to the story?
Throughout her life, but especially once her sister Sukey goes missing,
Maud collects random, found objects. How do physical objects come
to possess meaning or value?
At one point, speaking to Frank, Maud denies she has secrets, but then
admits to liking the idea. How might secrets be important? How can
they be unhealthy?
Late in the novel, Maud touches something of her sister’s and says, “The
contact makes it possible to breathe again.” What is she experiencing?
Consider the Epilogue. What is the effect of ending the novel with the
lyric swirl of Maud’s receding memories?