Still Alice, Left Neglected, Love Anthony, Inside the O’Briens, Every Note Played, Remember, and More or Less Maddy. Her novels are about people with heartbreaking diseases, and she brings her background as a Neuroscientist to the stories that bring a compassionate look at these lives. Her approach as an author is unique, and she is an essential literary influence in literature today.
Writers Digest featured an article written by a guest columnist in January 2018 titled “Living for All It’s Worth: The Novels of Neuroscientist Lisa Genova.” The article's quotes give insight into Genova’s thoughts.
“People ask me if it’s depressing writing about these hideous diseases,” saying, “There is certainly tragedy and heartache, but I don’t find it depressing. I find it inspiring. I learn so much about how to live from people who are dying or coping with various diseases.”
As a writer, Genova has focused on life’s struggles. She looks inside the world of her subjects and has little need to draw from the narrative and philosophy of others to show who her characters are. The plot becomes important in her characters' lives. She said, “Your value as a human being doesn’t depend on your memories, what you can and can’t do, or whatever disease you may have.”
Her message is as much about love as it is about debilitating diseases. The disease sometimes frees its victims to see what is most important in their lives: repairing relationships and giving love freely.
Genova said, “All my books are about empathy,” and added that when she interviews people, they say, “I want to still love and be loved. I want to still matter. I want to be seen and heard.”
Five of her books have been reviewed on this site. See the Past Review Section
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A thank you note from Lisa Genova