On the HahaFiction shelf
What Rose Forgot
by Nevada Barr
Rose Dennis comes to in the woods outside Charlotte in a hospital gown, with a gap in her memory and orderlies coming after her. Back in the nursing home's memory care unit, she suspects the medication has something to do with the fog. She starts dodging her doses and works out how to get away long enough to find out who put her there.
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What makes it funny?
The men coming to collect Rose wear white coats. She wants to know where they left their butterfly nets. When they get close enough to see, she sizes them up as Tweedledum and Tweedledee.
The comedy at work
Barr keeps us close to Rose's thoughts while she tries to work out which of her impressions she can trust. She has a test for dreaming. If she's asleep, she can fly. She lets go of the tree, raises her arms, and ends up back on her knees.
Try this if…
If you like a mystery where the people in charge underestimate the sleuths, Rose has a pair of useful accomplices. Her sister Marion knows how to find things out online, and her thirteen-year-old granddaughter Mel is willing to help keep her out of reach.
Good to know
This is a standalone thriller from the author of the Anna Pigeon books. The story includes bereavement, involuntary confinement in memory care, and a knife attack.
A few distinguishing details
- A grandmother on the run from memory care
- An investigation with help from a teenage granddaughter and a reclusive sister
More funny amateur sleuth
Sources & further reading
- Kirkus Reviews
Review
- Chesterfield Public Library ebook record
Library catalog
- Opening chapter preview
Reading sample
- Publishers Weekly review
Review
- Google Play Books ebook listing
Book information
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