The horrors of Alzheimer’s don’t necessarily make for an easy read. But this stunning novel uses fading memories to great effect to unfold a gorgeous story of love and desire.
At the start of World War II, young bride Elle moves with husband, Simon, from New York City to the island of Lyra off the Georgian coast. Enticed by legends of mysterious blue lights that herald jewels beneath the sea, Simon’s wealthy father has despatched him to find and sell the treasure. Elle is accompanied by her ‘cousin’ Gabriel, who is actually her secret boyfriend and love of her life.
The poetic language and sensuous imagery stunningly evoke the mysterious Lyra, a land of violet sea, wild horses and tangled oak woods, and the perfect backdrop to Elle’s grand passion.
Fifty years later, Elle’s mind is ravaged by Alzheimer’s. Like her memories, the story slips between the past and present as Elle relives key events from her life. She remains haunted by Gabriel’s fate. The mythical jewels were never found and Simon’s business is being wound up. Simon and Elle will leave Lyra, never to return. Can Elle bear to leave the home that anchors all her memories and is the last place she saw Gabriel?
The Stars are Not Yet Bells is a haunting story of love and loss had me completely immersed and enthralled.
Reviewed by Melinda Woledge
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hannah Lillith Assadi teaches fiction at the Columbia University School of the Arts. Her first novel, Sonora, received the Rosenthal Family Foundation Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and was a finalist for the PEN/ Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Fiction.
In 2018, she was named a National Book Foundation 5 under 35 honoree. She lives with her family in Arizona.
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