When Jaleel gets the chance to escape, he takes it.  Ending up in North Hollywood, he rebuilds his life.  As long as he keeps to himself, he's able to attend high school, play baseball, and get a real shot at an Ivy League education.  

Then, he meets a wealthy white girl.

Although 15-year-old Alexandra Baten lives not far from Jaleel, her posh Toluca Lake neighborhood might as well be the moon for all the resemblance it bears to Jaleel's part of town.  Still, when Alex meets Jaleel, she's fascinated.  He's a smart guy, bright and funny.  She's never met anyone like him.  Knowing her socialite mother will freak if she finds out Alex is hanging around a black boy from the wrong part of town, Alex tells no one about Jaleel.

Jaleel figures befriending Alex will lead to trouble, but he has no idea just how much when she asks him to do her an innocent favor ...

Once Upon A Lie by Michael French has lots of the elements I usually dig in a book—family drama, racial tension, a star-crossed love story, etc.  At its heart, it's a story about rising above injustice, another theme I'm usually keen on.  I think the novel has good bones; it's just that they're tough to find, hidden as they are by layers of overwritten prose, purposeless detail, and meandering tangents.  At 401 pages, the saga is about 200 pages too long.  The tale starts with a bang (literally), sags, picks up in the middle with a misplaced climax, then limps to a disappointing finish.  Because the characters in Once Upon A Lie are such a whiny, self-absorbed bunch, it's tough to care about any of them for that length of time. Overall, for me, this novel was a long, dull slog.  A pity, because in the hands of a diligent editor it could have been whittled down into a tight, impacting story about triumph over racism and prejudice.  As is, it's too long, too unfocused, too preachy.  And depressing to boot.  I finished it because I had committed to do so; otherwise, I wouldn't have bothered.  

Monday, May 2nd: 5 Minutes for Books

Tuesday, May 3rd: Books a la Mode – guest post

Wednesday, May 4th: Reading Cove Book Club

Friday, May 6th: Bloggin’ ‘Bout Books

Monday, May 9th: Hoser’s Blook

Wednesday, May 11th: Lavish Bookshelf

Thursday, May 12th: Thoughts on This ‘n That

Monday, May 16th: Patricia’s Wisdom

Wednesday, May 18th: Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Maud Horsham knows something's wrong with her memory.  The 82-year-old often can't recall the names of everyday items.  She goes to the store and forgets why she's there.  Even the notes she leaves for herself make little sense anymore.  There is one thing, however, that Maud is sure of: Elizabeth Markham—her neighbor and only real friend—is missing.  Positive that something sinister has happened to Elizabeth, Maud pleads for help from the police, her daughter, even Elizabeth's temperamental son.  All to no avail.  No one takes an old woman with dementia seriously. 

It's not the first time Maud's world has been rocked by the sudden disappearance of someone she loves.  In 1946, her older sister vanished without a trace.  As the two disappearances become entangled in Maud's mind, she grows even more confused.  The answers to both mysteries are inside her head somewhere—if only she can remember.  

Determined to figure out what happened to her friend, Maud mines her fractured memories, discovering in them some very disturbing truths.  Can she hold on to her discoveries long enough to save Elizabeth?  What about her sister?  Will Maud be the one to save the missing women?  Or will the secrets of the past remain hidden inside the recesses of a cloudy memory that is slowly, slowly slipping away ...

Elizabeth Is Missing, a debut novel by English author Emma Healey, is a complex psychological thriller.  A quiet, unhurried one, yes, but also a twisty, riveting mystery.  While the story offers plenty of suspense and intrigue, the most compelling thing about Elizabeth Is Missing is the terrifying issue at its heart—memory loss.  Healey, whose grandmother suffers from dementia, brings the horror of the disease to life in such a vivid, heartbreaking way that it's impossible not to empathize with Maud and all of her real-life counterparts.  Although it tells a sad, scary tale, I enjoyed this compelling, well-crafted debut novel.  If you like a puzzling, mind-bending story, give this one a go.  It's definitely worth the read.

(Readalikes:  Reminded me of Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson)

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