In The Woman Who Stole My Life, Marian Keyes (The Mystery of Mercy Close) delivers a warm and positive--at times hilarious--read about the effects of serious illness.
The story is told by charming and chatty Stella Sweeney--"Age: forty-one and a quarter"--as an account of what happened when she was a 37-year-old beautician, the Irish wife of a "successful but creatively unfulfilled" bathroom designer and mother of two rebellious teenagers. Stella's life was humbly ordinary until a strange illness overtook her, making her paralyzed and mute. The diagnosis, Guillain-Barré syndrome--a rare, yet usually temporary, autoimmune disorder--attacks the nervous system. Though mentally attentive, Stella remained confined to an I.C.U. The only way she could communicate was via blinking, and the only person who understood her was her handsome neurologist, Dr. Mannix Taylor. During her long hospital stay, the two bond and share intimate details about their lives.
After her arduous recovery, an American tabloid publishes a photo of the vice president's wife reading a self-help book called One Blink at a Time--Stella's story, complete with clever, stoic aphorisms she spouted during her ordeal. Stella is surprised to learn it was self-published, behind her back, by dreamy Dr. Taylor. The exposure brings Stella instant international fame and fortune--and the possibility of new love. But at what price?
Keyes depicts the realities of illness for the patient and all involved. Her comic take on Stella's journey--coupled with her distinctive brand of wit--showcases her imagination in top form. --Kathleen Gerard, blogger at Reading Between the Lines