Critical Praise
“[An] un-putdownable page turner.... Combines murder mystery with family drama, bringing new meaning to the term ‘psychological thriller.’”
— Vanity Fair
"Gripping.... Skillful.... Unique.... [A] compelling whodunit.... LaPlante has created an unforgettable portrait of the process of forgetting."
— The Washington Post Book World
"Artful, ambitious, and arresting."
— San Francisco Chronicle
“A stunning act of imagination.”
— Chicago Tribune
“To call TURN OF MIND a thriller --- or a chronicle of illness, or a saga of friendship for that matter --- would confine it to a genre it transcends. This is a portrait of an unstable mind, an expansive, expertly wrought imagining of memory’s failures and potential.... Vivid.... Haunting and original.”
— The New York Times Book Review
"Engrossing.... Exhilarating.... A page-turning mystery."
— San Jose Mercury News
"Rare.... LaPlante's fine novel is both lyrical and shocking."
— Boston Globe
"Brilliant.... Pitch-perfect."
— Chicago Sun-Times
“This poignant debut immerses us in dementia’s complex choreography.... [A] lyrical mosaic, an indelible portrait of a disappearing mind.”
— People (4 stars)
"This dazzlingly adroit debut novel is full of suspense, rueful humor, and scalpel-sharp insights into the intricacies of love and friendship --- as well as the resilience of the human spirit."
— More
"One of the most indelible I have read in years --- I was stunned, silent, and shaken."
— Roxanne Coady, The Daily Beast
"Creates a startling range and texture of fear. From agonizing, slow-motion-car-crash moments to the ironic frissons of a good horror movie, [LaPlante] hits every bell.... The complexity never fades.... The razor sharp quality of [Jennifer's] thoughts, even at their most fragmented, gives her entire ordeal a 'Twilight Zone' feel. Up until the final stages of the disease, she still somehow manages to retain the quality of a lone sane person adrift in a world that definitely isn't."
— Los Angeles Times
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