Every Note Played by Lisa Genova

Every Note Played by Lisa Genova – audio

Book Blurb:

An accomplished concert pianist, every finger of his hands was a finely calibrated instrument, dancing across the keys and striking each note with exacting precision. That was eight months ago.
Richard now has ALS, and his entire right arm is paralyzed. His fingers are impotent, still, devoid of possibility. The loss of his hand feels like a death, a loss of true love, a divorce—his divorce. He knows his left arm will go next. Three years ago, Karina removed their framed wedding picture from the living room wall and hung a mirror there instead. Karina is paralyzed by excuses and fear, stuck in an unfulfilling life as a piano teacher, afraid to pursue the path she abandoned as a young woman, blaming Richard and their failed marriage for all of it.
When Richard 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.

My Review: 4 stars

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Every Note Played gave me much more than I bargained for. I’ve been a fan of Lisa Genova for years. Her previous books have each dealt with a different medical diagnosis and honestly; sometimes I have to gear up to read them. Why? Because I know from the start that I’ll end up sobbing like a baby. What amazes me is that each novel Genova has written has the common denominator of a disease, yet each story that surrounds it is unique. There’s no formula at work. Each book is completely different besides the crying at the end part.

This book deals with the impact of divorce on a family and how that family can fall apart and perhaps come together again due to circumstance. How illness affects so many people, not just the diagnosed person. And more importantly, without family or friends, who does one reach out to in coping with the emotional toll and of course the physical debilitation. Home health care is of paramount importance and I just fell in love with the caretakers in this book.

At the end of the book, the author goes into great detail about the research she conducted and those with ALS that she interviewed and have since passed. Her background is in both Biopsychology and a masters, from Harvard no less, in Neuroscience. Thank goodness she took the leap from science and put her knowledge into these powerful novels.

Quotes I liked:

Love isn’t measured by the number of hours a person logs.”

– “What’s the saying? Not forgiving someone is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.”

– “On the road to any great achievement are a thousand missteps, a thousand more dead ends. Success cannot be born without the life and death of failure.”