The 30-year relationship between a neuropsychologist and a patient with amnesia makes for an enticing readWhen she first meets Elihu Hoopes in 1965,Margot Sharpe is a young neuropsychologist set on “unlocking the mystery of memory”. Hoopes is suffering from amnesia after a devastating illness: “trapped in a perpetual present”, he’s unable to form new memories but is haunted by an image from childhood of a girl’s body floating in a lake. Margot – one of the top researchers in her field and seemingly married to her job – works with Hoopes for over three decades. As her dedication blurs the boundaries between professional and personal, and the reader is forced to inquire of uncomfortable questions approximately exploitation,ethics and morals. A novel that demands the most literal interpretation of the definition “psychological thriller”, The Man Without a Shadow showcases Oates’s grasp of the complexities of the human psyche via an enticing combination of the ambiguity of Memento and the poignant realism of Awakenings.
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Source: theguardian.com