What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty Summary

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty follows 39-year-old Alice who falls during spin class and loses memory of the past ten years. She wakes believing she's 29, pregnant with her first child, and happily married to Nick, only to discover she has three children and is going through a bitter divorce. The novel explores how dramatically people and relationships can change over a decade as Alice attempts to piece together her lost years and understand the rigid, controlling person she has become.

Liane Moriarty is an Australian author who wrote What Alice Forgot as her third novel, published in 2009. The book became internationally successful and showcases Moriarty's signature style of blending family drama with psychological depth and humor. Known for later bestsellers like Big Little Lies and The Husband's Secret, Moriarty demonstrates her talent for exploring complex relationships and relatable characters experiencing life-altering situations in What Alice Forgot.

What Alice Forgot is ideal for readers who enjoy thought-provoking women's fiction that explores marriage, motherhood, and personal identity. It appeals to those interested in memory-loss narratives, family dynamics, and stories about how life experiences shape who we become. Fans of Liane Moriarty's other works, book club members seeking discussion-worthy material, and anyone questioning how their younger self would view their current life will find this novel compelling and emotionally resonant.

What Alice Forgot receives largely positive reviews, with readers praising its engaging premise, well-developed characters, and emotional depth. While some critics note the book feels longer than necessary and the pacing can be uneven, most agree it's a compelling exploration of memory, identity, and relationships. The novel's ability to blend humor with heartbreak, prompt self-reflection about personal growth, and deliver a satisfying conclusion makes it worth reading for fans of contemporary fiction and character-driven stories.

Alice falls off her bike during spin class and hits her head, causing retrograde amnesia that erases ten years of memories. She's transported to the hospital believing she's 29, newly pregnant, and blissfully married, but discovers she's actually 39 with three children—Madison, Tom, and Olivia—and divorcing her husband Nick. Throughout the novel, Alice pieces together clues from photos, emails, and conversations to understand how she transformed from an easygoing, optimistic woman into a rigid, controlling "supermom" who lost connection with the people she loves.

Alice and Nick's marriage deteriorated over the ten years Alice can't remember due to growing apart, accumulated resentments, and the stress of raising three children. Nick adopted angry, pompous mannerisms toward Alice, while she became increasingly controlling and caught up in competitive parenting activities. The death of Alice's best friend Gina appears to have significantly impacted their relationship, contributing to waves of grief and emotional distance. Their communication breakdown and Alice's transformation into someone Nick no longer recognized ultimately led to their separation.

The central message of What Alice Forgot explores how life experiences and memories fundamentally shape our identity and relationships. Liane Moriarty illustrates that we cannot return to who we once were because time inevitably changes us, yet this transformation isn't always positive. The novel emphasizes the importance of maintaining perspective, staying connected to our authentic selves, and not letting life's pressures transform us into people we wouldn't recognize, while also acknowledging there's grief in losing our younger, more hopeful selves.

The ending of What Alice Forgot shows Alice gradually regaining her memories while working to reconcile her younger and older selves. As she pieces together the past decade, she makes deliberate changes to repair damaged relationships, particularly with Nick and her children. The epilogue provides resolution and leaves readers feeling hopeful, with many reviewers praising it as a satisfying five-star conclusion despite mixed feelings about earlier sections. The ending emphasizes forgiveness, personal growth, and the possibility of change, though some readers found certain developments rushed or predictable.

Gina was Alice's best friend who died tragically during the ten years Alice cannot remember. Her death profoundly affected Alice, causing waves of grief and devastation that Alice experiences even without conscious memory of the loss. Alice organizes an event called Mega Meringue Mother's Day, where 100 mothers bake the world's largest lemon meringue pie as a tribute to Gina, whose signature recipe it was. Gina's death represents a turning point that contributed to Alice's transformation and the deterioration of her marriage to Nick.

What Alice Forgot explores memory and identity, examining how our experiences shape who we become and whether we can reclaim lost parts of ourselves. The novel addresses transformation over time, showing the painful contrast between Alice's optimistic 29-year-old self and her rigid, cynical 39-year-old persona. Additional themes include:

• Marriage and divorce
• Grief and loss (particularly regarding Gina's death)
• The challenges of motherhood
• The evolution of family relationships, especially between Alice and her sister Elisabeth

Liane Moriarty employs third-person narration for Alice's main storyline while incorporating Elisabeth's diary entries and Frannie's blog posts to provide multiple perspectives. This structure creates mystery as readers piece together the missing ten years alongside Alice. Moriarty's writing blends humor with emotional depth, featuring laugh-out-loud moments balanced against heartbreaking revelations. The narrative voice captures Alice's confusion convincingly, making readers feel detached from her life just as she does, though some critics note the book could have been shorter.

Common criticisms of What Alice Forgot include its length, with several reviewers finding the novel overly long and repetitive, suggesting it could have been condensed significantly. Some readers experienced frustration with Alice's circular thinking and found the pacing uneven, particularly struggling through the first half before becoming more engaged. The overwhelming sadness pervading the story about lost relationships and personal transformation bothered some readers despite the humor. Additionally, certain plot developments, especially toward the ending, struck some reviewers as rushed or predictable, though the epilogue generally received praise.