Left Neglected

Lisa Genova — 2011

One typical morning, Sarah Nickerson, a woman in her mid-thirties, is late for work, racing in her car after dropping her kids off at school and daycare. She tries to phone in to a meeting she should already be at when she takes her eye off the road for a second too long. In that blink of an eye, all the rapidly moving parts of her over-scheduled life come to a screeching halt. Sarah suffers a traumatic head injury. Her memory and intellect are intact, but she has lost all interest in, and the ability to perceive, information coming from the left side of space. The left side of her world has gone. Sarah only eats the food from the right side of her plate. She can't see her watch, or her engagement diamond or her wedding ring. She tries to use a wheel chair but can only spin in circles as her left arm dangles by her side.

Reviews

Gabbi Miller@gabbi

Jan 30, 2023

This book was so boring, I kept thinking the plot would thicken but unfortunately that never happened. It had a good lesson but that’s about it!

Allyson Marrs@ajmarrs

Oct 11, 2021

After a choppy start, this was an interesting book about a woman caught between her abilities and new-found disability, and about how much we all probably depend on job titles to define us. As always, Genova struck a balance between scientifically fascinating and developing a heartwarming narrative. If the beginning of the book would have been a bit clearer (there were "dreams" and flashbacks that felt wrong), I would've opted for four stars.

Katheryn Haskell@hatiekaskell

Sep 28, 2021

This book was good. It covered a lot of life experiences in a very real way, which I liked a lot. As a stand alone book, it was well written and very thought provoking. Compared to her other books, I think this is the weakest. It is a very slow progression, which makes sense for the topic, but it's noticable. I usually only take a day to read a Lisa Genova book, this one took me four. Still very good, but definitely my least favourite of her books.

Amy Buckle@amysbookshelf

Aug 27, 2021

Left Neglected is a book which centres on one woman’s struggle with coming to terms with an injury which has changed her life forever. Sarah is a successful woman at the top of her game; she’s got a husband and three kids, an absolutely hectic life, and no room for mistakes. But when she takes her eyes of the road one morning, her whole life suddenly... read the full review here: https://www.amybucklesbookshelf.co.uk...