A once accomplished concert pianist, Richard now has ALS. As he becomes increasingly paralyzed and is no longer able to live on his own, Karina becomes his reluctant caretaker. As Richard's muscles, voice, and breath fade, both he and Karina try to reconcile their past before it's too late.
Genova expertly details the devastation ALS wreaks on Richard, and though her latest is a sometimes difficult read, she finds hope in the opportunities Richard has to repair his relationships with his daughter and brothers before it’s too late.
Lisa Genova, the neuroscientist and author who riveted audiences with her tale of early onset dementia in Still Alice, delivers another gripping journey through a dread disease in Every Note Played. This time she trains her masterful storytelling skills on ALS as it plays out in a fractured family ... Genova continues to refine her niche of using fiction to describe the scientific and emotional impact of disease on the stricken person and their caregivers ... This time Genova enriches the medical story with the power of music, capturing in words what sound feels like ... As the ultimate life-or-death decision arrives, Genova crystallizes the choice that so many real-life families feel when disease strikes:
'It’s either his life or hers.'
Ms. Genova is far more serious and readable, concerned as much with depicting the clinical realities of ALS as in wringing it for emotional catharsis. You might drop a few tears reading Every Last Note but you won’t feel bullied into doing so
