Left Neglected by Lisa Genova.

I'm a huge fan of Lisa Genova; her books are always powerful and insightful.  In Left Neglected we meet Sarah who was a working mum with a massively busy schedule but after having a car accident her life slows down dramatically.  Sarah's injuries include Left Neglect. Caused by damage to the right hemisphere of the brain this means that she is no longer aware of the left of anything, starting with the left side of her own body and extending to the left side of everything in life.  I'd never heard of this condition before and was fascinated to learn the details of Sarah's circumstances and the remarkable way in which she overcame the obstacles caused by the Neglect.

This story is full of hope and positivity.  Sarah is such a strong character who was likeable from the first pages.  You really do travel along with her on her journey, learning so much and feeling every emotion along the way.

There are only a few characters in this book as it mainly revolves around Sarah, her husband, mother and children.  The family faces many problems alongside the neglect from money worries to the eldest of Sarah's children being diagnosed with ADD.  I really liked Sarah's Mum as a character too. The story is full of ups and downs but leaves you feeling incredibly positive and reinforces the fact that its the little things in life that are important.

Every time I read a Lisa Genova book I am swept away as the story unfolds, fall in love with the characters and feel like I learn such a lot..  An excellent read I would recommend to anyone.

The back page blurb:
One typical morning, Sarah Nickerson, a woman in her mid-thirties, is late for work, racing in her car after dropping her kids off at school and daycare. She tries to phone in to a meeting she should already be at when she takes her eye off the road for a second too long. In that blink of an eye, all the rapidly moving parts of her over-scheduled life come to a screeching halt. Sarah suffers a traumatic head injury. Her memory and intellect are intact, but she has lost all interest in, and the ability to perceive, information coming from the left side of space. The left side of her world has gone. Sarah only eats the food from the right side of her plate. She can't see her watch, or her engagement diamond or her wedding ring. She tries to use a wheel chair but can only spin in circles as her left arm dangles by her side.

Title: Left Neglected
Author: Lisa Genova