After reading Lisa Genova’s previous two books--Still Alice that deals with Alzheimer’s Disease and Left Neglected that deals with traumatic brain injury--I knew I wanted to read Love Anthony, a story that deals with an autistic boy. Neuroscience is a topic I’m fascinated with, and Genova, a Harvard-trained neuroscientist, writes fiction inspired by her field of work.

Love Anthony is essentially a story about two women, each at crossroards in their life, whose lives change because of the connection to an autistic boy. Olivia is mourning the loss of her son Anthony, a boy who had autism. She retreats to Nantucket Island alone, desperate to find the meaning of her son’s life. Beth, also living in Nantucket, is a wife and mother of three girls, who just discovered her husband Jimmy is cheating on her.

The chapters alternates between the stories of both women. Both stories had elements that appealed to me as a woman and mother. I could empathize with Olivia and my heart broke for her as she relives some of her best and worst moments with Anthony. I felt terrible for Beth because of her situation. I liked reading about Anthony and learning about what it might feel like to have autism. The book’s beginning and ending were very good, but I felt the story dragged at time somewhere in the middle. I felt Beth’s story was too detailed and there could have been less of it and more of Anthony.

Also, the ending left me with mixed feelings. Beth begins to write a book and it’s written from the perspective of an autistic boy. It’s strongly suggested that it’s actually Anthony communicating to his mother through Beth, you know, channeling. I really wish this hadn’t been implied. Why add a paranormal element to a story that was fine without it? However, this is mentioned at the very end of the novel, and is a short scene. It’s really the story of Anthony that made me enjoy this book. I was touched by him and was crying at one point when Olivia recalls how he dies. I have a son who is ten and could not imagine losing him.

The setting on the island of Nantucket is so prominent that it becomes a character, making the reader truly feel the isolation and bleakness of winters there. Genova’s description of island life is beautiful and I could imagine it so clearly in my mind.

This story truly made me more empathetic toward families who have children with autism. It made me understand the difficulties and challenges that come with raising children who are different and may not speak, give eye contact or want to be touched. I look forward to seeing what else Genova chooses to write about that will make her readers more compassionate.

Note: This book is rated P = Profanity (mild) for a few f-words and S = sexual content for a brief sex scene (not explicit).

Lisa Genova's books have helped me to understand the people I see every time I step into the building where I work. Her latest, Left Neglected, was so insightful and inspiring to me. Sarah, the main character, is a workaholic (80 hours/week) who juggles work and family and seems to do it all until one day, she sustains a brain injury in a car accident. The trauma and neurological damage to the right hemisphere of the brain leaves her with a total unawareness of everything on her left side, including her body.

This is when her whole world changes. But with change, even a negative and life-debilitating change such as the one the condition of Left Neglect imposes on her, the consequences aren't all bad, although my heart ached so much for Sarah and the limitations she now faced. Sarah re-establishes her relationship with her estranged mother and appreciates and is grateful all the more for what she does have and has not lost. Her world is no longer on a frenetic pace and her level of stress is lowered. Her view of the world and her priorities have changed.

When I first started reading the book, I wanted to shake Sarah for not seeing how crazy her life was. How could she possibly think that she could continue at that pace? Her job and having a wealthy lifestyle were so important to her, at the expense of her children and personal relationships—there was no mention of girlfriends. It was work, work, work.

This novel helped me to sit back and appreciate a few things:

I can't stress enough how important this novel is for women who live their lives running at a break-neck speed to “get it all done.” But more importantly, it gives us insight on living with a sudden life change such as stroke or brain trauma. It helps us to be more understanding and compassionate rather than pitying of others, whether they suffer from a physical, emotional or mental disability. This is a well-written fiction novel with an important message. It is an excellent choice for book clubs, and should be required reading for anyone who lives with or works with someone that has a physical impairment. Highly recommended.

Note: Rated C = a clean read.