The plot of Angel Falls relies heavily upon a portrayal of common symptoms of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and amnesia, reflecting a long-standing literary tradition of using medical conditions to explore themes of identity and memory. Traumatic brain injuries can disrupt normal brain function, leading to a range of cognitive impairments, including memory loss. A TBI can be one of several different causes of retrograde amnesia, which is often temporary. (Other causes include brain inflammation, tumors, alcohol misuse, and Alzheimer’s disease.) In general, literary and cinematic depictions often exaggerate the symptoms of amnesia for dramatic effect. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Movies and television tend to show people with amnesia forgetting who they are. But that’s not generally the case in real life.” Instead, people with amnesia tend to have difficulty “learning new information” and “remembering past information and events that used to be familiar” (“Amnesia.” Mayo Clinic, 2025). In these cases, recent experiences are also more likely to be lost than older, more deeply ingrained memories.

Although Mikaela’s ordeal is consistent only with the most extreme cases of retrograde amnesia, the events of the novel are designed to mirror this data, for the plot revolves around her temporary inability to recall her recent life with Liam and her children—even though she remembers her ex-husband, Julian. While highly uncommon in instances of TBI-based amnesia, this scenario is not entirely without precedent in the real world. In many ways, Mikaela’s situation echoes the extreme case of former NFL player Scott Bolzan, who reportedly lost 46 years of his memory after a fall in 2008 and had to be reintroduced to his own wife and children. Throughout Angel Falls, the author relies heavily on the symptoms of this medical condition to drive the plot forward.