Left Neglected by Lisa Genova

After witnessing the death of her brother at 7 and the resulting withdrawal from life of her mother Sarah has thrown herself into being the best, to proving herself. Now at 37 she has a high flying career, a happy marriage, 3 children, 2 homes and the designer shoes to prove that she has indeed succeeded...even if she does have to work 80 hours a week, struggles to get home to see her kids for bedtime, doesn't get much chance to holiday in the second home and her most intimate interaction with her husband is playing scissors, stone, paper to see who doesn't get to do the school run...but Sarah loves her life... Until, taking her eyes from the road for a second Sarah has a serious car accident, which she survives but which leaves her with a little known about condition called Left Neglect, where her brain cannot compute that she has a left side or that anything else has a left side. Suddenly Sarah isn't so capable and she isn't at the top of this game. Then onto the scene comes her mother, the mother who suffered so much at the death of her son that she 'forgot' she had a daughter. It's a learning curve for Sarah to accept that she is different but through using different strategies she can still be Sarah albeit one that has learnt to re-evaluate her life. This was quite a profound book but written in such a way that it never preached at you. Left Neglect is obviously the condition with which Sarah is left after her accident but it also reflects on how Sarah herself was neglected by her griefstricken mother as a child; Sarah was her mother's 'left side', there but not seen. The story concentrates on how Sarah overcomes not just her new disability but her hurt and anger at how her mother treated her then. It's about understanding and acceptance and also knowing when family is more important than money and live-in nannies and second homes. Sometimes you have to know what's not there to appreciate what is. I haven't read Still Alice so cannot compare the two books but I did really enjoy this one, I found the information about Left Neglect fascinating and I gelled with all the characters, they were sympathetically but realistically portrayed, warts and all. Plenty of humour though it is a serious subject, emphasising that laughter can be found in most serious situations. I'll definately be reading Still Alice now.