Welcome back, readers! Well into Emma Healy's debut novel, Elizabeth is Missing, we realize Maud flits between 1946 and the present. We are gradually introduced to two sets of characters: Sukey, Frank, Douglas, the Mad Woman, and Maud's parents from 1946, and Helen, Katy, Peter, Carla, Tom and several others in the present. Maud is the link between the two narratives. Clearly, she has trouble with her memory—she buys, and forgets she has bought, tins of peaches, she leaves cups of tea everywhere, Carla and Helen leave notes reminding her of simple everyday things, and Maud leaves herself little notes to aid her memory: "No word from Elizabeth," "Haven't heard from Elizabeth," "No sign of Elizabeth," which lead her to say repeatedly, "Elizabeth is missing."

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  Why does Maud use the word "missing" instead of "lost" or "gone?" Is the title effective?
• Carla, Maud's caregiver, tells her stories of vulnerable older people who are mugged, invaded and terrorised by strangers and cheated by their own children. Is Carla "a carer in wolf's clothing?"
• There are several allusions to Red Riding Hood in the first chapter. What tone does this set? How does it affect the story?
• Maud's behavior at the restaurant clearly disturbs Helen. Maud's inability to control her bodily functions, the condescension she receives from her doctor, the police and the store clerks frustrate Maud. What does this tell the reader about how the world treats dementia patients? Is it reminiscent of the behavior meted out to the "Mad lady" in 1946?
• "It's such a little thing—knowing where to put cutlery—but I feel like I've failed an important test. A little piece of me is gone." Can we empathize with Maud? Is she a reliable narrator?
• How do the recurring images of summer squash, snails, garden walls, earth and objects buried in the earth, inform the novel?
• As we proceed, how do we begin to see Helen? How relevant is her profession to the story?  How is she similar to or unlike Peter, Elizabeth's son, or Tom, Maud's son?

For readers interested in learning more about memory loss, I recommend A Personal Guide to Living With Progressive Memory Loss by Sandy Burgener.

Until next week!