What Alice Forgot: by Liane Moriarty | Summary & Analysis

by Book*Sense

What Alice by Liane Moriarty | Summary & Analysis

This is a Summary & Analysis. Liane Moriarty's piece is an upbeat, funny and smart novel that asks the question, "How much do our experiences shape who we are?" Alice Love is an average stay-at-home mother who falls off an exercise bike during a spin class and hits her head. The injury causes her to forget everything that happened to her in the last ten years. She has had three children and become an almost unrecognizable version of herself.

Moriarty is a witty and thoughtful writer, and she sets up a situation full of opportunities for humor, emotion and earnest questioning. What would our younger selves think of our lives now? Would they even recognize us? She explores these questions with tenderness and sympathy for both Alices, younger and older.

This companion offers the
• Story Setting Analysis
• A detailed Book Review from Experts
• Story elements you may have missed as we decipher the novel
• Details of Characters & Key Character Analysis
• Summary of the text, with some analytical comments interspersed
• Plot Analysis that will make you see the book from another angle
• Discussion & Analysis of Themes, Symbols…
• And Much More for YOU to Discover!

This Analysis fills the gap, making you understand more while enhancing your reading experience.

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Drama

59 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 6, 2014

Reviews

[Crissy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have ever struggled with infertility... If you have ever felt that your spouse cared more for their job than their family... If you have ever wondered how you have travelled so far from the woman you thought you'd be... And you enjoy a well written book with lots of fun quirky characters, and thoughtful introspection, then you will enjoy this tale of two sisters- Elizabeth and Alice. About the families we are born into, and the families we create. About love, and loss, and hope, and despair. About friendship, and forgiveness, and life in all it's messy and beautiful complications- and the choices we make along the way and how they in turn make us.

[Nadine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made you think, reflect over the last years of life, and even consider the ones ahead. It was a good call to evaluate if you liked where you were and where you were heading. It also was wonderful to show how we all hide in our own worlds, and it is so hard to see what is going on behind the facade we show to everyone else- even those we love. It was a little long-winded at times, and the ending was awkward, but I would still say it is an interesting read.

[Natasha Hinkson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected more from this author which is why I just gave it 3 stars. This book was basically a "chick flick" in a book. From my perspective the first 80+% of the book dragged on and on and it all came together in a few pages at the end.
It did make me think about the last decade of my life and how much it had changed but reading the back cover would probably have made me do that anyway.
Thank goodness I read this while on a beach holiday. It was just the light mindless read I needed for the moment.

[Maria Weston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book. This is the second book I read from this author and I really enjoyed her style of writing. It makes you think and wonder about lives choices.

[Star Cruson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light reading.

I would like to recall my own self when I was younger. I know I would make different decisions and choices.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intriguing tale that pits past against present in a marriage that’s falling apart, What Alice Forgot is the frequently laugh-out-loud funny, evocatively curious and compelling, and ultimately satisfying tale of a 39-year-old woman who “loses” 10 years-worth of memories in a freak accident. Throughout, the reader wonders what’s lost, whether it’s worth recovering, and what will happen if/when the truth comes out. Just how different are we at 39 than 29? What changes does childbearing and rearing bring? And how do two people so deeply in love fall so irredeemably apart?

Other, deeper questions hide beneath the surface of this novel—not just the secrets life keeps from Alice, but those we keep from ourselves, the certainties that drive us to ignore what really matters in relationships, and the separations we somehow, accidentally, allow to occur. Everything viewed anew becomes new—a lens readers might well apply to their own lives.

Wisdom hidden beneath the humor, hope behind the plot, and depth bubbling through the shallowness of Alice’s everyday life… it’s a compelling mix and a truly absorbing tale.

Disclosure: A friend loaned me her copy. Thank you Judy! I loved it (and want to buy my own copy now!)

[Kathryn Morici · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book (I love most of her books). Is doesn’t even seem to matter what the story line is, I always find the quirky musings of her main characters to be so amusing and entertaining. Highly recommend!

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

So so good!!

[Margaret Elder · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was surprisingly good because it causes one to think. It is not a literary masterpiece, but it has an interesting plot and some novel ways of revealing information (primarily through letters written by two of the characters). Alice, the main character, has a fall that results in amnesia, and the last ten years of her life are forgotten. As she slowly regains her memory, her personality changes along with her faculties. She comes to realize why and how her lifestyle had become what it was, and she works to change the mistakes she had made.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book! It's intriguing to think where you'd be if you forgot 10 years of your life. How were you different 10 years ago? Who did you know? Who have you met? How have they affected your life? It's awesome to get that kind of self-reflection without reading a self-help book! And the readability is so much higher than a self-help book too! It was very fun to read. Going to read something else by this author soon and see if I like her as well as this book.

[Ericka Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy Moriarty's ability to weave multiple characters' stories in and out of chapters and tie them seamlessly and flawlessly together by the conclusion of the book. Without giving away too much information, this book presents unexpected twists and turns which constantly keep you engaged and making inferences of what the conclusion could possibly be. I found myself sympathizing with the characters, rooting for them, and becoming attached to them! Highly recommend!

[ReaderMK · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listen to this as an audiobook while Rip and KB were hiking in the Sierras. it was recommended to somebody from my hip chick Book Club.
The book starts with the main character coming to after having fallen off of a spin class bicycle. We quickly learned that she thinks it’s 1998 and she’s pregnant with her first child. She’s in love with her husband. But in reality it’s 2008 and she has three children, her best friend has died that year very traumatically with a tree falling on the car. And she was in the middle of a divorce and custody battle with her husband.
The premise of this book is that she cannot remember the last 10 years of her life. This was extremely interesting to me and the author did a great job going back-and-forth between her mind and thoughts as her version of herself of 1998 and what she had evolved to in 2008.
For instance, she still really loved her husband and couldn’t believe they were going through a divorce. All of her thoughts were positive and loving about him. Meanwhile, the reality was that they were not happy with each other and heading to a divorce. She could not remember any of her three children. She was stuck in a time when she was pregnant with the first one.
She has a sister who she’s grown apart from. So the sister feels awkward and she feels all the love and closeness that she’s always felt.
It really made a very big point to look at how different a person can become in 10 years. How much those around them can also change. How do we navigate those things. How do we maintain our relationships when little slights can multiply and changes us.
I was able to listen to this book in an intense four day time while walking Winston twice a day so I could focus on it think about the messages and the author did such a great job with a very unique premise. I would recommend this book to a lot of people.

[Mala Ashok · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liane Moriarty has come out with a Winner in "What Alice Forgot." Alice love falls on a gym floor in what seems to be an innocuous fall but turns out to make her lose 10 years of her life. Thus she goes from being a 39 year old separated mother of three to a 29 year old, deeply in love with her husband and pregnant with their first child. The plot is intriguing and one wonders whether Alice will get back with her first love, Nick. To keep the plot lively we also hear about Alice's sister's misadventures and her mother's marriage. Also, telling a tale is Frannie who writes detailed letters to Phil. All in all Moriarty sketches Alice's story well as when she says, "It was extraordinary the way her body knew how to do things - the mobile phone, the make-up, the lock - without her mind remembering her ever having done them before." That about sums it up.

[Janel · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've ever wondered where you went wrong, what happened to close family bonds, struggled with infertility, been through divorce .. basically, this book is for everyone. We've all been through struggles and this book puts a whole new perspective on things if you put yourself in Alice's shoes. She falls in a gym class and hits her head losing the last ten years of memories. She can't figure out why she's getting a divorce from the man she still gushes over, can't remember her children and can't figure out why her sister seems distant. Very good read! I really enjoyed it and it's so easy to see myself and others I know acting like some of these characters.

[Kelli Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read with a thought provoking idea....what if you could look at things from your perspective 10 years ago rather than who you are and where you are now...and you never know where/what may happen in the future. I wish she would have developed the character of Gina a bit more, but I liked the way the author showed everything from "their" perspective...but then later you were able to see how the main character came to see things from her perspective.
Overall, I enjoyed the book.

[Helen Foudoulis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has everything. It’s about loss, hope, despair, family, and learning to be happy with the life that we have, even if it isn’t perfect. Essentially, Alice wakes up from an accident and realizes that she has everything she THOUGHT she ever wanted, but is unhappy. And she can’t remember how it all went wrong.

I highly recommend this novel. The characters are funny, and honest and the book can make you laugh and cry (sometimes on the same page). Amazingly well written.

[Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I usually like this author but this book not so much. By the time I had read just about half I felt too invested to drop it. It went on and on with too much information about nonsense so I would stop reading, move on to another book, then come back to this one exactly where I left off. (I did this 2x). As I did so I questioned why I was bothering. It certainly wasn't worth it. I am very disappointed in this one.

[Margie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting premise of a woman falling of a stationary bike and losing the last ten years. Last thing Alice remembers is being newlywed and pregnant, close to her sister, with a best friend. Now all those relationships are suffering and she tries to understand why.

Prose is repetitive and I skimmed a lot.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a little bit to get into the book but I really did enjoy it. And by the way it has nothing to do with the movie "Still Alice." I'm saying that because I honestly thought it was that book. Guess I should learn to read the back of the book before I start!

[Julie Stuckmeyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It really makes you think about how you change as a person over your lifetime. Would you be a better parent if you could actually be the parent you meant to be when you were pregnant?

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very easy read, and relatable. The writer handles a potentially serious situation with a light touch.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this Liane Moriarty book. The last few chapters felt rushed and I did not enjoy the 'catch up' feel of the end of the book.

[Sylvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I

[Sharon Scarborough · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good love story. Enjoyable.

[Penne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Might recommend for bookclub.

[Lorraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a fast read but pretty predictable.

[Sheri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't get into it, read about 75 pages and stopped.

[Ashley Fraley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved, but started off slow.

[Jill Dempsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Light read but very enjoyable

[Holly Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quirky and lovely - interestingly told.