People Watching

Prue’s character arc in People Watching partly revolves around her mother Julia’s diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. The Alzheimer’s Association defines this disease as “a type of dementia that affects memory, thinking and behavior,” and Alzheimer’s is the leading type of dementia overall, accounting for between 60% and 80% of cases (“What Is Alzheimer’s Disease?” Alzheimer’s Association). Julia experiences symptoms common to middle-stage Alzheimer’s, including forgetfulness of recent history and confusion about location or time. People with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia sometimes have difficulty creating new memories and experience short-term memory loss, while long-term memories are often retained longer (“Memory Loss And Dementia.” Alzheimer’s Society). As illustrated by the wedding incident, Julia often relives events from 20 or more years ago, believing that those events are her present, rather than her past. When such experiences are confronted with reality, such as when she sees adult Milo in Chapter 3, Julia becomes confused and upset because she is unable to reconcile what she thinks is true with what is actually happening around her. Alongside these moments of severe regression, she also experiences times of striking lucidity when she seems to be aware of who she is, when it is, and the truth of reality in the current moment.