Man in the Mirror: A man finding himself as he loses himself to Alzheimer's Paperback – July 9, 2016

What does it feel like when you know your memory is slipping? It happens to all of us at one time or another, doesn't it? But what about when it happens again and again? What is the feeling when you find yourself somewhere, and you don't know how you got there, why you are there, and don't even know where "there" is? This became a troubling situation for Aaron Young. He began to question his actions, confronting a dilemma of unsure memories, even feelings, about his relationship with his deceased wife, whose surprising poetry about their life together, turned up to haunt him, just at the onset of Aaron's mental disintegration.Alzheimer's will rob you of your ability to concentrate, to reason, to remember what you were just about to do, or what you just did. Though you may deny it, and insist that you are fine, those who surround you may know otherwise. They may make "secrets with their eyes" ~ a clue to schemes against you.As I delved into "Man in the Mirror", I began to feel that I had tumbled down "the rabbit hole" with Aaron. The writing progresses at a non-stop pace, matching the merciless advance of this man's disease. I began to wonder what was real and what was not in my own life. Was I making the mistakes in judgement too? How would I know if my memory was going? Even if someone told me, it wouldn't stick, would it?Zoe Murdock brings out many points to consider, for not only one sinking into confusion, but also for his or her loved ones.I was captivated by Zoe's style, and the story. I think if I encounter anyone undergoing loss of memory, I would do well to stop, look, and listen, with a heart...and take them by the hand.

Azure skies, fluffy white clouds, a gentle breeze imbued with the fragrance of sage, and soaring red rocks that jut upward from the desert floor: This magnificent landscape is the perfect place to find peace and solitude, and to gather one's thoughts and rediscover why life is worth living.This is what draws Aaron Young, a man in his 70s who lives alone after the death of his beloved wife, back to his parcel of land in this desert paradise. He longs for peace and freedom from those whom he feels are interfering in his life. But the journey from his home near Salt Lake City to the red-rock landscape of Southern Utah is hampered by his faulty memory, which continues to get him into trouble and and add worry and frustration to his adult daughter's life. It also leads to encounters with various colorful characters along the way.In "Man in the Mirror" author Zoe Murdock treats the issue of Alzheimer's from the perspective of a daughter whose own father was afflicted with the disease. She writes with both sensitivity and humor, and one can't help but laugh out loud over some of the situations in which Aaron finds himself. But the humor is tinged with sorrow as we observe Aaron's memory slowly deteriorate. Anyone who has ever watched a beloved parent succumb to senility and loss of self identity can appreciate the struggles of both the afflicted and his loved ones in this touching story.

In Man in the Mirror,Zoe Murdock has done the impossible — she wrote a page-turner of a story centered on a man losing his mind as the onset of Alzheimer’s disease creeps in and begins its slow dance of destruction.Murdock has the uncanny ability to show Aaron Young’s slow struggle with his consciousness and mental abilities from several points of view — foremost through the mind of the protagonist whose mind ebbs and flows in and out of reality, but also through the agony of his daughter and caregiver Sarah, the estrangement from his son Michael, and even in the diaries of his late wife Laura. Adding to Aaron’s misery is the discovery, in Laura’s intimate journals, that he wasn’t the good husband he’d believed he’d been all those years.In denial of his condition, or simply unaware of it, Aaron struggles to maintain his dignity and self-reliance by escaping to the plot of Utah desert upon which he’d always dreamt of building a house. His odyssey is an emotional roller-coaster of heinous experiences in the hands of thieves and brutal truck drivers while hitchhiking and a delightful last love affair with Maya, a spirited young woman who embodies the goodness and innocence of the world.Man in the Mirror has its harrowing moments, but it is a novel with a soul that leaves the reader with understanding, compassion and deep feelings of hope. A must-read.

Man in the Mirror, by Zoe Murdock beautifully captures what must be a tremendously emotional struggling journey for more and more families and individuals today. Throughout this work I accompanied Aaron on what was to become an increasingly frustrating ride as he strives to hang onto his independence. All the while those who loved him try their best to maintain some semblance of normalcy amid a set of all too common circumstances which are anything but normal. Reading this work has me chuckling one minute, anxious for the central figure another and finally in tears on still another. All the while riding this emotional roller-coaster I found myself simultaneously educated regarding the frustrations and emotional tuggings care givers face. While it is not presented as an educational work, Man in the Mirror is very much educational, enlightening, eye-opening and helpful. I would encourage anyone facing this journey with loved ones, or who knows someone dealing with it, or who just enjoys a good read to pick this novel up and give it a good read.

It's the story of a man who progressively loses himself through Alzheimer and eventually finds himself and becomes free. Never sad and even funny at times , it is always extremely moving as it tells of our humanity with our vulnerabilities and endless search for "something more" and of humanity at its best and at its worst through the characters he meets. Ms Murdock is never judgmental and writes with infinite love and compassion. It is a book that heals and it made me feel I am a better person for having read it.