All the Words We Know

by Bruce Nash

A wickedly funny and genuinely moving novel about memory, language and love, perfect for fans of Richard Osman and The One-Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Jumped Out the Window.

In the beginning is the whatsitsname. The woman in the car park. She wears a nightgown and lies on her back, looking up at the sky. The nightgown is white and embroidered at the neck with blue . . . what do you call them? Forget-me-nots. A small crowd is gathered around her. All in their unicorns. Uniforms. All younger than the woman, much younger. They look at each other. They look up at the sky. They look down at the woman. They whisper.

Rose is in her eighties and has dementia, but she's not done with life just yet. Alternately sharp as a tack and spectacularly forgetful, she spends her days roaming the corridors of her aged-care facility, ruminating on the staff and residents and enduring visits from her emotionally distant children and grand-daughters. But when her friend is found dead after an apparent fall from a window, Rose embarks on an eccentric and deeply personal investigation to discover the truth and exposes all manner of secrets - even some from her own past.

All the Words We Know is a wickedly funny and genuinely moving story about loneliness, language and how we make sense of the world.

'A deeply moving, completely charming novel I will be staring out windows thinking on for a long time.' Tim Rogers'From a tumble of language, tricks and puns come clues to a murder - and devastating truths about love. All the Words We Know is both unique and daring.' Jock Serong'Darkly humorous, bewitchingly original, quietly poignant. A stunning accomplishment. The wordplay sparkles, yet it's the humanity that shines through.' Chris Hammer'A rare, beautiful bird of a novel. All the Words We Know offers readers an immersive experience both playful and profound – I found myself speaking so many of Rose's musings out loud, revelling in their gorgeous rhythms, even as the tension of the central mystery had me racing through the pages. I loved this book!' Jacqueline Bublitz

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Contemporary, Australia, Audiobook, Family, Crime

336 pages, Paperback

First published February 27, 2024

About the author

I have always written.
For three decades, I taught English in Secondary Schools throughout Queensland.
I survived.
I now live and write and make habitat on the far south coast of New South Wales, on Djiringanj Country by the shores of Wallaga Lake, with my partner Deborah, our dogs Finnegan and Rupert, numerous chooks, a Satin Bower Bird called Lord Byron, a Diamond Python who shall remain nameless, and numerous Wattlebirds, Lorikeets, Galahs, White-headed Pigeons, Whipbirds, King Parrots, Crimson Rosellas, Black Cockatoos, Eastern Spinebills.......
All the Words We Know is my most recent novel, published by Allen & Unwin in 2024.
My previous novel was The Long River of Cat Fisher, published in 2020 by Australian Scholarly Publishing (Arden).
My first novel was An Island in the Lake, 2019, also published by ASP (Arcadia).

Reviews

[Rowan MacDonald · Rating 2 out of 5]

All the Words We Know follows Rose, a lady in her eighties with dementia that resides in an aged-care facility. When her friend is found dead, Rose sets out to discover the truth.

“Somebody fell out a window. One of the upper-floor rooms. Dead in the car park.”

I enjoyed this to begin with. Rose made me smile with her humour (think Ruth Cracknell) and endearing way of seeing the world. She had a distinct voice, one that felt authentic. But what started out fresh and unique, became gimmicky and irritating as the book progressed. It wasn’t a sustainable writing style. The lack of plot didn’t help – moving even slower than most characters.

“My friend moves more slowly than I do, being in a wheelchair. And being dead, obviously.”

Wordplay is key to this novel, and one of the ways Bruce Nash portrays Rose’s dementia. I'm told these are known as “Phonemic paraphasias” – unicorn vs uniform, president vs resident, and things like that. The plot took a backseat to this wordplay – a literary form of faffing about. The author seemed too preoccupied with this and trying to ensure the reader felt inside the head of somebody with dementia. It succeeded with the latter.

The narrative felt like a long ramble of nothing. Every now and then, I found myself half-asleep while reading, to be later shaken awake by random lines of coarse language. At one point, I lost my place, only to have difficulty finding it again due to the repetitive mess spread over the pages before me.

I wanted some kind of relief – perhaps by exploring the perspectives of other characters. Some of these I came to like (the Nice Boy Who Mops the Floors, Fellow Who Doesn’t Live Here) more than unreliable narrator, Rose, who I increasingly found ignorant of her own privilege. I wanted to bail at page 200, but had come too far, so persisted.

While there were poignant observations on the lives of those in aged-care, I found these overshadowed by the repetition and wordplay. It was like the author was trying to distract us with fun magic tricks; anything to draw attention away from a weak plot.

I felt a sense of relief when finished. Comparisons have been made to Richard Osman and The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared – the age of main characters seems to be the only thing it truly shares.

This book represents time that I can’t get back. Time that would have been better spent visiting those, like my father, in aged care facilities.

Rose herself best described my reading experience:

“All this makes me very tired.”

[Suz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gentle and unique story about Rose, her words, her love, her memory, and her family. It is refreshing to see a completely new way to tell a story, and when that method contains words, and a completely new way of looking at them.. well, this is quite simply something I think we’ve not seen before as readers.

Rose, and the three generations of her family. The granddaughters and their quick thumbs on smart phones, her daughter’s head resting on the bath. Words do not need to be overwritten or containing mega action to have an impact. Her son with the clean bottom.

Such fun word play revolving around the garden, birds, flower names, and last but not least, love. In all ages and forms. All this comes across as mild and meek, but it’s serious, Rose isn’t completely lost to us yet.

What a unique and soft reading experience, leisurely, measured, all the while making the reader need to know Rose’s outcome, and wanting her to grasp and be safe.

A thought provoking and completely unseen type of book for this reader, which was unexpected and fresh. Congratulations to the author on this new perspective.

I loved the cleaner, with their bound chest, hair over their eyes with Rose opening her bathroom to all. (You must read it to find out).

With thanks to Better Reading for my preview copy in exchange for my review.

[Kerrin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s hard to give All the Words We Know a definitive rating. On one hand, it offers a compelling and insightful look into the mind of someone living with dementia. There are moments of humor, warmth, and triumph, and it’s easy to root for Rose, the narrator — she’s endearing and unforgettable.

On the other hand, the novel can be an exhausting read. True to its title, there are a lot of words. Thoughts are often repeated, and it takes a long time for the story to move forward. At times, I found myself losing interest and wishing for a quicker pace or more focused plot progression.

[Yaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Narrated from Rose's perspective, a woman living with dementia in a care facility, this novel reflects her fractured memory, resulting in a story that feels scattered, disorienting, and sometimes hard to follow. While this narrative style is deliberate and mirrors Rose’s condition, it often leaves the reader unsure about what is real, imagined, or forgotten, making the reading experience feel tedious and unclear.

Despite the disjointed storytelling, Rose remains an endearing and memorable character. Her efforts to understand her surroundings—naming people she later forgets, piecing together memories, and reacting with a mix of humor and vulnerability—add depth and humanity to her voice. There are moments of genuine warmth and quiet reflection, but overall, the lack of narrative clarity makes this a challenging read.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was pretty rough for me. Written from the perspective of someone with dementia, it tried to capture the fragmented mind, but instead just turned into constant repeating. It got very repetitive and boring, and I skimmed the last 25% of the book. I appreciate the effort, however.

Thank you to Net Galley and Atria Books for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Toni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Repetitive and frustrating dialog.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the Words We Know is a hilarious whodunit where the narrator is utterly unreliable, but determined to ferret out the truth even if it costs her - but she probably will forget the cost anyhow. This book is full of witty malapropisms that kept me laughing, punny plant humor, and a beguiling inability to stay politically correct.

I’ll be honest, this is one of the most disorienting books I’ve ever read, and while I can kind of piece together what has occurred, I couldn’t confidently say one way or another. I can tell you I had fun with this book, and it definitely made me consider if I’m treating my children today how I would like to be treated as I’m aging and becoming more dependent on their care. This was a fun and thought provoking book; though, it may be an emotionally challenging read if someone close to you has walked through dementia.

I would like to thank Atria Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Fiona Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a refreshing work of genius this book is. A first person narrative from someone with dementia that is so revelatory about the world we live in. Through Rose's confusion, brilliant word play and searing simplicity, complicated layers are stripped back to show us the world and our place in it. It was a pure delight to spend time with Rose!

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book (All the Words We Know, by Bruce Nash) is probably a “love it or list it” book—primarily because the narrative voice is so strong and different. The voice is that of an older woman who has dementia, so both the memory slips and the mix-up of words hinder straight-through reading. For me, the voice worked; but for other readers, it may be too much of an impediment to their enjoyment.

The story hits close-to-home for too many of us. The main character, Rose, has been placed in assisted living. That setting can be uncomfortable for readers who have faced the decision to place their loved ones in such a facility. Rose’s facility seems to have primarily good, caring employees (with a couple of exceptions); but the repetitiveness of the days (Bingo, anyone?) and the lack of meaningful relationships is far-too-true. This setting is even more uncomfortable because Rose believes that someone is murdering the residents; unfortunately, her dementia prevents her from focusing on the mystery.

Rose has two adult children, and they reflect the feelings of many adult children in this situation. The daughter shows up dutifully, watering Rose’s plants, cleaning her bathroom; washing Rose’s feet; but she also seems to have some repressed bitterness about visiting her mother. The son also regularly visits, but he is often dismissive of Rose’s questions and concerns. Neither seems to know how to interact with a dementia parent—a challenge for anyone.

Yes, this book hit hard. It often made me uncomfortable--but in a way that speaks to its high quality.

I enjoyed the word mix-ups. Sometimes the author simply substitutes one word, then supplies the correct word (apostrophe, catastrophe); sometimes the wrong term is used consistently (Care Manager becomes Scare Manager); and sometimes entire sentences are inverted (I wonder where the nice boy who mops the floors is. Where the nice boy is, who mops the floors.) The other word fun is the use of the jargon of these facilities; overused, the words become jokes: Person-Centered; Flexible Response, Duty of Care, Best Practice, Holistic Therapeutic Environment, and Ongoing Adjustment.

I won an ARC of this book in a Goodreads giveaway. My thanks to Atria Books for the opportunity to meet and love Rose.

[Sharah McConville · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the Words We Know follows the life of 80-year-old Rose, a dementia patient living in aged care. Rose has good days and bad days with her memory and despite her confusion Rose realises something is not quite right when her Scrabble friend mysteriously falls out of her bedroom window. Rose has glimpses of her former life and a head full of words that sometimes don’t come out quite right, however she still has some fight left in her yet. Thanks to Better Reading and Australian author, Bruce Nash, for my ARC.

[Jannelies (living between hope and fear) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read some of the earlier reviews before I started reading, I was a little hesitant to pick this one up. However, I requested it because it sounded interesting. What I missed was the ‘wicked humor’. Yes, you can smile at the descriptions Rose gives to certain people, and despite her dementia she still has good insights but funny? No.

It was not an easy read but in the end it deserved four stars, because somehow I could understand Rose perfectly. It didn’t take me long to see where the story was going and sadly I was right. I really liked the part where Rose is trying to find her password for her bank account. This scene shows that with some determination and the correct help she can do much more than people are giving her credit for.

Thanks to Atria Books and Edelweiss for this review copy.

[Janelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of fun with words and phrases in this novel about Rose, a dementia patient in an aged care facility. She forgets a lot but she is with it enough to know there is something wrong in the place when her friend falls to her death from her bedroom window. So the book walks a fine line between the humorous wordplay and the seriousness of the subject matter; from Rose’s fraught relationship with her children, to the treatment of the elderly, to the clear crimes being committed by the ‘Scare Manager’(as Rose calls the hospital director). An entertaining and thought provoking read.

[Alison Lucas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seemed like it had great potential but became increasingly frustrating as the play on words started to become the focal point not the plot.

[Moonkiszt · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the Words We Know is brilliant! How the author stayed in the zone to get it written is part of that brilliance. At the very beginning of this listen/read I was moments from jumping off, and saving my sanity when instead I went over the cliff and down that long free flowing worder-fall. All those words, freely falling out of Rose's head, thoughts in a chaos that are anything but. . .and may have more pattern and order deep down than someone else's dead on sober blueprint.

And, Dear Reader, it goes like that from page first to page last. I loved it. So clever. Note: you will think hard after reading this book of anyone you've known lately to have spoken in Rose's wild way and replay your conversations with them. . .there may have been more between the lines than you, at the time, realized. With Roses' Rosetta stone you, too, may have some things to unwind. Just sayin'.

The read provides an opportunity to step into a different headspace - how that voice in one's head that never stops narrating our existence must change over our years on the planet. Here's one interpretation of how that may look as we get older. Instead of 'othering' Rose into a victim and person to feel sorry for, the author has allowed her to keep a semblance of her pride, confidence and joie de vivre from past experiences.

All the stars for Rose, her friend with the blue eyes staring at the sky, and Mr. Nash for this excellent adventure!

*A sincere thank you to Bruce Nash, Atria Books, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* 25|52:40b

[Marles Henry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rose is in her eighties, living in an aged care facility. One of her friends, also a resident, falls from her balcony, and Rose wants to find out why. Through her ‘investigation’ we find out less and less about the accident and the investigation, and more and more about the frailty of life and the impact of dementia on our older generations who are left to fester and wander in beige corridors in states of confusion, loneliness and bewilderment.
The use of wordplay is on point, and Bruce Nash does not spare any time from using this to his advantage, highlighting Rose’s confused state and inability to remember. The Scare Manager, the Angry Nurse, unicorns (uniforms), the revelator (elevator), No Not Obstruct. All of these add humour, sometimes at Rose’s expense but at other, at the expense of her son and daughter who seem to have so little time for Rose and the facility staff who even through Rose’s eyes, seem off kilter. The use of the word revelator is quite clever as well, as each time Rose wanders around the aged care facility, into rooms that are not hers and down corridors where she should not be, more is revealed to us about what has actually happened within those closed doors.
The way in which family and staff interacted with Rose was also a sharp reflection of those experiencing dementia and other diseases such as alzheimer’s: Rose was continually told she was wrong, or that she didn’t know important pieces of information, she was constantly probed about her memory and reminded about the loss in her life. The whole interplay about her password was very clever, and as much as it brought a smirk to my face, it also made me feel quite fearful about a future where the memories I cherish now will falter and fade away.
“We will understand each other. He has shown me many things, but it is this I must remember. He has made me understand about understanding.”

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an entertaining romp. The word play, the unfolding mystery, the monotonous setting.

The puns were most fun, along with the repetitive sentences and geographically changing nurses.

Thank you, @BruceNash.

[Celena · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 ⭐️
Initially thought it would interesting to read a pov of someone with dementia in a nursing home but I think it was kinda confusing and I couldn’t really get into the story🪟💸

[Jamele (BookswithJams) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a heartwarming and heartbreaking read, and takes a deep dive into dementia and what it is like to have it. This worked in humor and was quite funny at times, but is also sad, so if you have someone close to you dealing with dementia please be prepared. I thought this was so well done there were times when I was not sure what was real and what was only in Rose’s mind, which I’m sure is what it is like to suffer from this horrific disease and was the author's intent. I will say though, that Rose is not giving up and some of the scenes with her son and others were fantastic, especially at the end, and moral of the story here is do not underestimate the elderly. I loved this story overall, it was a little slow to get going but by the end I loved Rose and how it ended. The audio was narrated by Abbe Holmes and it is worth noting that she did an awesome job with both Rose and this story as a whole.

Thank you to Atria Books #partner for the free copies to review.

[Shelleyrae at Book'd Out · Rating 3 out of 5]

Told from the perspective of Rose, an elderly woman with dementia, All the Words We Know is an unusual literary mystery.

When Rose learns her Scrabble partner has fallen to her death, she is sure that it is no accident but can’t quite recall why. It has something to do with the golden Scare Manager and the Angry Nurse, and perhaps her son’s dirty bottom and the password he needs. To make sense of what is wrong, Rose must sort through the present and the past, the understood and the unknown, the remembered and forgotten.

With a clever use of language, Nash draws the reader into Rose’s world as she roams the halls of the aged care facility. The narrative is surprisingly playful, humour deftly tempers the sharp-edged pangs of loss and frustration. Muddled words and puns add a layer of lightness, even absurdity at times. Moments of lucidity fade into the labyrinth of forgetting, so that parts of the narrative feel circular, but Rose slowly makes progress. We get glimpses of the truth that Rose is searching for, but as an unreliable narrator, it’s often as murky for us as it is for her.

I admire what Nash has accomplished with this unique novel. All the Words We Know, is clever, poignant, and entertaining.

[Kim Novak (The Reading Rx) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has to be one of the most unique books I have ever read, and that is saying a lot. The story is told from the perspective of Rose, an octogenarian with dementia living in a care facility, who suspects something nefarious may be happening within the facility's walls. An unreliable narrator, her story is told with humor and sadness, word substitutions and salad (lettuce forget), observations and paranoias. As you read, you are not quite sure what to believe in her stream of consciousness or rather subconsciousness. Rose's perception of the world around her and the characters within her facility's wall is unmatched. Absolutely brilliant storytelling and a rather cunning mystery as well. One of the most memorable characters I've met in a long time.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

[jeniwren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was deeply invested in this story and the perspective from the main protagonist suffering dementia. The writing is exceptional with the word play and as a nurse myself working in Aged Care I could relate to so much of the plot. Scare manager and Angry nurse gives new meaning on how as carers we might be perceived by the very vulnerable elderly that we encounter every day.

[Tex · Rating 2 out of 5]

“All The Words We Know” (ATWWK) is by Australian author Bruce Nash.

This is the story of Rose - a woman in her 80’s, suffering from dementia, living in an aged care facility. ATWWK is told completely from Rose’s first person perspective.

If Nash wanted to write a book where it made the reader possibly feel what it was like to have dementia then I think he succeeded. For that I will give the author some points.

Outside of that Nash has written a borderline unintelligible book whereby without the blurb on the back I really would not have had a clue what was going on. Even when certain events are (supposedly) revealed it still left me with countless unanswered questions. I also found myself really struggling to find any connection or empathy with any of the characters making ATWWK even more difficult for me to feel engaged.

While I’m sure some will marvel at ATWWK I found it to be repetitive, incoherent, and left me as much in the dark after 316 pages as I was before I’d even read page 1.

ATWWK gets 1.5 forgotten passwords out of 5.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

All the Words We Know follows Rose, a woman in her eighties with dementia, who just cannot accept her friend's death after a fall. Certain that there is more to it, Rose is determined to discover the truth. Confused and paranoid, forgetful and pushy, Rose disrupts the staff and worries her children. Is there something going on at the assisted living or is it just a figment of Rose's imagination?

The issue with books that have an unreliable narrator is that they are often hard to read. The addled brain and the resulting ramblings do not come across well in printed form. Though I do like Rose, her story is very difficult to follow. Overall, the ending is projected too well by the author and ends up not being a surprise. I do like Rose, especially her perseverance, but I am not really a fan of the novel itself. For these reasons, I hesitate to recommend All the Words We Know to other readers.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy by NetGalley and the publisher. The choice to read and review this book was entirely my own.

[Helen - Great Reads & Tea Leaves · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*


All the Words We Know is a unique and enlightening book. This is a story narrated by Rose, an elderly woman who is in Aged Care and suffering from dementia. What is incredible is that the author writes this book - confusion and mixups inclusive - as it would be for Rose. Hidden within all this dementia prose is a mystery that is taking place with the residence.

‘It’s important to us that you understand, Rose,’ he says, as if I am a lovely, brainless old thing instead of just an impossible one.’

Undoubtedly the author demonstrates clever use of language by taking the reader into the world of Rose as she not only wanders around the Aged Care facility but attempts to solve a mystery. At one level the language is playful and filled with humour, as frustrations surface in communication and unraveling past and present events.

‘I hate it when she tells me to remember. What does she think I’m trying to do, for God’s sake? But she’s the one who gets angry.’

The reader will most likely also find it frustrating as at times it becomes repetitive and unclear but of course, that is surely the experience of dementia. Personally, it would have been a hard balance to attempt but I found it detracted from not only solving the mystery but also in reaching an understanding with her children and grandchildren.

‘There are too many names, too many words, too many passwords, too many bits of silk attached to things. Too many. You have to be . . . seductive. Selective.’

All the Words We Know is really a very clever book and many readers are sure to relate to the situation both in terms of muddled words and observations with the more serious issue of communication with loved ones. I admire Bruce’s efforts in presenting an authentic book that is not only a wonderful play on words but illustrates rather poignantly the plight of many older people.

‘What I am really afraid of is the forgetting.’




This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

[Amy apple · Rating 2 out of 5]

This writing style just wasn’t for me. Combined with terribly slow moving plot, I’m not sure why people loved it so much.

The premise intrigued me and then I had a few small giggles at the start but as I got further into the book, I got relatively confused but the unreliable narrator that I just wanted to get to “the point”.

Extremely anticlimactic, and although it does raise issues that are plaguing the age care institutions, the way it was written just made me lose interest and empathy.

A few of the characters caught my attention but we never really get to meet them.

When I think about it, I feel like this book would be an assignment type of read where my English teacher would get me to quote parts of the book and then discuss. 😓

[Stacey 📚📚 · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who works with dementia patients and has worked in aged care settings, I loved this.

It's a good murder mystery, but it can be frustrating as the narrator has dementia and isn't very reliable and we see the mystery from her POV.

I loved it because you feel empathy for the patient as tries to piece her friends murder through her confusion and waning memory.

[Pip Jennings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite entertaining & funny but a bit too slow & long.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heart warming story about a woman in a nursing home . She has some good friends and some clients and nurses she doesn't like too much. But thankfully her family supports her and she does end up with friends she can count on.

[Naava · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book.

I really enjoyed this book. Yes, the reader is following the story of an unreliable narrator- a narrator who knows they are unreliable, but also is pretty certain there are nefarious things afoot. It is interesting being in the mind of someone who knows but cannot remember all they know. A smart person, who is rendered unreliable by age. Sadly, most of us know someone like this, someone who is lost inside their mind. I found Rose (is her name even Rose?!) to be a lovely storyteller, funny at times, and quite the interesting character. After a point, you get to understand her thoughts and see how she draws some of her conclusions. As a reader, I questioned so much of what was happening-is it in her mind or did she really hear/see things around her that caused alarm? The author could have easily misled us to the point of there being nothing afoot, the reader merely falling into a trap by an unreliable narrator, yet I found it vindicating that Rose was onto something and just couldn’t remember all the details along the way. I definitely recommend this book.

[Pam]

Quirky, but fun.