Left Neglected by Lisa Genova Book Review

Left Neglected by Lisa Genova does provide a deep insight into a medical illness that I did not even know existed. The title is – Left Neglected – I thought it is like someone has left a person neglected for some reason.

Left also mean leaving and I was taking it that way.

So, when the illness turns out to be that the left part of the body does not exist for the brain, I was surprised. The title is clever, or cheating, but whatever, the book is not interesting.

Left Neglected Review

Sarah is a working mother, at a good point in her career and juggling many balls. She was on the phone while driving and due to an accident, some neuro damage happen.

That makes her left part of the body unusable, or more clearly, she does not realize there is a left side. Her brain forgets about the left side. She watches the world in kinda half-dimension.

The author has tried to explain the problem as clearly and as easily as possible, but when the story is going so pale, I can’t focus on the educational content.

There is a reason I am reading a fiction book, and that reason is I want to get the information through the entertainment.

Left Neglected weakens in keeping me invested in Sarah. The majority of the reading time, I did not care about the protagonist and does not feel anything for her.

I was like — ‘yeah!!, she has this illness,, now this is a recovery story”.

What is the Problem?

I guess the problem here is that stakes were not high enough.

Yes, the protagonist was in the danger, but there were resources to avail.

A loving and supportive husband, a guilt-driven mother to take care, and kids motivate her throughout. Moreover, such illness might cost a fortune, and they were doing okay. There was no immediate danger.

Another problem I guess was the character set up of Sarah.

She was a skillful, intelligent, hard-working woman, who was doing great. The accident does not harm her emotional conditions. She carries the same humourous persona and delightful narration.

As much as it does not make sense, but it does make the Sara unbearable to me. Like she is rubbing on the face of the readers, like I am here, a fictional character, surviving such a major accident, and still kicking. How you doing, readers.

What do I like?

I like the whole mother-daughter storyline. There were a few moments where Left Neglected reminds me of Jodi Picoult. 

Well, I will not call myself a fan of Jodi Picoult, but I read here now and then when I need to read some long drama. 

However, Lisa Genova offers a glimpse of what book could have been if it was written by the Jodi Picoult. If I got the option to read one book between the Left Neglected by Lisa Genova or Left Neglected by Jodi Picoult, I would go with Jodi Picoult’s version.

The whole mother-son-daughter structure was refreshing. For some time I was hoping that the story would extend it to Sara and her daughters.

That does not happen.

Another thing I like in the story is the bizarre truth that using mobile while driving leads to accidents. The author does not make it a court-room trial with a drunk driver. I mean that could have brought the depth to the story, but the lack of the story is both positive and negative side of the book.

By not giving anything else, Lisa Genova focuses entirely on the illness at hand (or brain).

Yeah, so you see, there is nothing about this book to like.

Final Recommendation

The book is not interesting. Left Neglected by Lisa Genova is a book about Sarah, a self-entitled woman. She, in the end, convinced her husband to sell their house and move somewhere else.

As the Sherah has put it:

There was one plotline in the entire book, it was repetitive, and it involved following a whiny, ungrateful, unlovable lady through her barely-emotional journey through recovering from an *intense brain injury*.

Moreover, the writing is subtle, and there is no art in it.

Maybe it should be a non-fiction book because it does not have the necessary element of fiction books.

How can you write 400+ pages without a storyline?

The stupid edition had had the last 60-70 pages covered by the first few chapters of another book. So I was fooled by thinking there are pages left in the book, and then I find out there is nothing to read on the road.

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