What Alice Forgot

Published in 2009, Australian author Liane Moriarty’s novel What Alice Forgot tells the story of mother-of-three Alice Love, who wakes up after a traumatic head injury unable to remember the previous 10 years of her life. Told from Alice’s point of view, as well as from her sister Elisabeth’s and her honorary grandmother Frannie’s, What Alice Forgot explores the corrosive forces of betrayal and resentment in relationships and families, the power of forgiveness, and the importance of motherhood. Moriarty is the bestselling author of eight novels, including Big Little Lies, which was turned into an award-winning HBO series. This summary utilizes the 2009 Penguin Books publication of What Alice Forgot.

Plot Summary

The novel takes place in Sydney, Australia, in 2008. It is mostly told from the third-person point of view of the protagonist, Alice Love. Some sections are written in the first-person point of view of Alice’s sister, Elisabeth, and Alice’s honorary grandmother, Frannie. These sections are set apart from the text of the chapters in which they appear: Elisabeth’s sections are journal entries titled “Elisabeth’s Homework for Dr. Hodges,” and Frannie’s sections are letters titled “Frannie’s Letter to Phil.”

Alice, believing herself to be 29 years old and 14 weeks pregnant with her and her beloved husband Nick’s first child, wakes up disoriented in an unfamiliar gym with a terrible pain in her head. She learns that she is really 39 but cannot remember the previous 10 years of her life.

Alice spends a night in hospital. While there, she is shocked and devastated to learn that she is separated from her husband, Nick. She learns that she has three children; Madison is in fourth grade, Tom is in third grade, and Olivia is in kindergarten. Alice also learns that her older sister, Elisabeth, is desperately unhappy and that they are no longer as close as she remembers. Her mother, Barb, is now surprisingly outgoing (she was always shy) and married to Nick’s brash father.

Elisabeth drives Alice home from the hospital, and Alice has lunch with Barb, Roger, and her honorary grandmother, Frannie. Alice’s bedroom contains no traces of Nick. There are roses from another man, and Alice meets this man, Dominick, whom she has apparently been dating. Parents of the kindergarten class come over for a cocktail party that she organized before her injury; she recognizes no one. Elisabeth tells Alice that she and Ben have been struggling to have a child for eight years; she has had six miscarriages. Alice learns that her best friend, Gina, whom she no longer remembers, died tragically. She assumes this is the cause of confusing waves of grief and devastation she has been feeling.

Nick drops their children off at Alice’s house, and Alice insists that he stay for dinner. It is strained and awkward between them; Nick has adopted angry, pompous mannerisms towards her. Alice is overwhelmed meeting the children, and her eldest daughter, Madison, angrily figures out that Alice doesn’t remember them. Nick and Alice’s divorce is clearly affecting the children’s wellbeing.

Alice continues to piece together clues from her life over the last 10 years using photos, emails, and conversations with people around her. At a Family Talent Night at Frannie’s Retirement Village, Alice shocks Nick and Nick’s sister, Ella, by willingly returning Granny Love’s ring, which had been Alice’s engagement ring. This had been one of the issues that Nick and Alice had been fiercely fighting about. Barb and Roger call Alice and Nick onstage to salsa dance. Alice feels that there is still chemistry between them and hopes to repair their marriage.

Frannie is beginning to spend more time with a man called Xavier who also lives at the retirement village. She finds him annoying initially but comes to realize that she likes talking to him.

Mother’s Day approaches, and Alice learns that she has organized an event called Mega Meringue Mother’s Day, where 100 moms are enlisted to bake the world’s largest ever lemon meringue pie. It is a tribute to Alice’s friend Gina—this was her signature recipe.

Nick and Alice are called into school for a bullying incident; Madison cut a girl’s hair and threw a cake at her. Alice and Nick take Madison to the beach to talk. Alice learns from Nick some of the reasons they are separating.

Meanwhile, Elisabeth is pregnant and is desperately worried that she will have another miscarriage. She sits in bed, watching television for 48 hours until Alice comes over and talks to her.

On Mega Meringue Day, Alice collapses as her memory returns. She remembers that Nick was always absent and that is why she now resents him. She resolves to return to Dominick. Frannie and Xavier become romantically involved. Frannie finally moves on from the death of her fiancé, a tragedy that occurred decades earlier. Elisabeth is devastated and worried when she bleeds, but it is spotting, rather than a miscarriage. She and Ben have a baby girl, Francesca. They hold a ceremony to grieve the six miscarried babies. Later, they adopt three sons from Vietnam.

The Epilogue, set 10 years later, reveals that Alice has returned to Nick. They worked through their resentments and issues and are now happily married. Alice celebrates their many shared memories—both good and bad.