Maud is forgetful. She doesn’t remember where she put her teacups or the supermarket on the way home. Sometimes she even forgets her own daughter’s name. She only knows one thing. Elizabeth is missing.

The idea of this novel was entirely new to me and I was immediately intrigued. For one I have never really read a book about old people (though not on purpose). Secondly, I liked the idea of trying to uncover something while forgetting all the clues.

In short, my expectations were quite high (also due to the amazing reviews I read). Sadly, the book couldn’t quite convince me. Despite the good idea and the interesting storyline, I wasn’t hooked. The writing just couldn’t draw me in and I had to push myself to get through with the book. It all seemed rather shallow and stiff. There was a lot of description, but very little feeling.

Therefore, I could barely warm to the characters. As fascinating as Maud was, I didn’t feel anything for her. The same counts for the other people, except Katy. The scenes with her and Maud were by far the most enjoyable ones for me as she was the only person who treated Maud as an equal. Thinking about it this way it might have been some witty dialogue I was missing. There was barely any of it there.

For all the critics I want to compliment the makeup of the story. It was interesting to see the past and present mixed up as Maud remembered little scenes from her life when she was younger. It all came together quite well and (without wanting to spoil anything) I enjoyed the last chapter.

Still, what will probably mostly stick to me will be the rather emotionless and (to me) dull style of writing and how I had to push myself to keep reading. Though I liked the idea the book couldn’t quite meet my expectations.