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1. When Alice becomes
disoriented in Harvard Square, a place she's visited daily for
twenty-five years, why doesn't she tell John? Is she too afraid to face
a possible illness, worried about his possible reaction, or some other
reason?
2. After first learning she has Alzheimer's disease, "the sound of her
name penetrated her every cell and seemed to scatter her molecules
beyond the boundaries of her own skin. She watched herself from the far
corner of the room" (pg. 70). What do you think of Alice's reaction to
the diagnosis? Why does she disassociate herself to the extent that she
feels she's having an out-of-body experience?
3. Do you find irony in the fact that Alice, a Harvard professor and
researcher, suffers from a disease that causes her brain to atrophy? Why
do you think the author, Lisa Genova, chose this profession? How does
her past academic success affect Alice's ability, and her family's, to
cope with Alzheimer's?
4. "He refused to watch her take her medication. He could be
mid-sentence, mid-conversation, but if she got out her plastic,
days-of-the-week pill container, he left the room" (pg. 89). Is John's
reaction understandable? What might be the significance of him
frequently fiddling with his wedding ring when Alice's health is
discussed?
5. When Alice's three children, Anna, Tom and Lydia, find out they can
be tested for the genetic mutation that causes Alzheimer's, only Lydia
decides she doesn't want to know. Why does she decline? Would you want
to know if you had the gene?
6. Why is her mother's butterfly necklace so important to Alice? Is it
only because she misses her mother? Does Alice feel a connection to
butterflies beyond the necklace?
7. Alice decides she wants to spend her remaining time with her family
and her books. Considering her devotion and passion for her work, why
doesn't her research make the list of priorities? Does Alice most
identify herself as a mother, wife, or scholar?
8. Were you surprised at Alice's plan to overdose on sleeping pills once
her disease progressed to an advanced stage? Is this decision in
character? Why does she make this difficult choice? If they found out,
would her family approve?
9. As the symptoms worsen, Alice begins to feel like she's living in one
of Lydia's plays: "(Interior of Doctor's Office. The neurologist left
the room. The husband spun his ring. The woman hoped for a cure.)" (pg.
141). Is this thought process a sign of the disease, or does pretending
it's not happening to her make it easier for Alice to deal with
reality?
10. Do Alice's relationships with her children differ? Why does she read
Lydia's diary? And does Lydia decide to attend college only to honor her
mother?
11. Alice's mother and sister died when she was only a freshman in
college, and yet Alice has to keep reminding herself they're not about
to walk through the door. As the symptoms worsen, why does Alice think
more about her mother and sister? Is it because her older memories are
more accessible, is she thinking of happier times, or is she worried
about her own mortality?
12. Alice and the members of her support group, Mary, Cathy, and Dan,
all discuss how their reputations suffered prior to their diagnoses
because people thought they were being difficult or possibly had
substance abuse problems. Is preserving their legacies one of the
biggest obstacles to people suffering from Alzheimer's disease? What
examples are there of people still respecting Alice's wishes, and at
what times is she ignored?
13. "One last sabbatical year together. She wouldn't trade that in for
anything. Apparently, he would" (pg. 223). Why does John decide to keep
working? Is it fair for him to seek the job in New York considering
Alice probably won't know her whereabouts by the time they move? Is he
correct when he tells the children she would not want him to sacrifice
his work?
14. Why does Lisa Genova choose to end the novel with John reading that
Amylix, the medicine that Alice was taking, failed to stabilize
Alzheimer's patients? Why does this news cause John to cry?
15. Alice's doctor tells her, "You may not be the most reliable source
of what's been going on" (pg. 54). Yet, Lisa Genova chose to tell the
story from Alice's point of view. As Alice's disease worsens, her
perceptions indeed get less reliable. Why would the author choose to
stay in Alice's perspective? What do we gain, and what do we lose?
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