The book is an autobiography, written by the wife of Clive Wearing, a man who is famous for having the worst documented case of anterograde amenesia: a condition which renders him unable to store ANY new memories. Since his disease and brain trauma shortly after their marriage, Clive is constantly experiencing a sense of "waking up" or really "becoming conscious" for the first time ever. He has no idea what is going on or what is happening to him. And every time that Deborah comes into the room - the one person he does know and loves more than anyone else, the only anchor he has left - he passionately runs to her and hugs her as if he hasn't seen her in years. Despite being informed over and over again about his condition and current events, he he has no idea what is happening in the world around him, what his children are up to, or even what he had for his last meal.

Deborah tells the story of how she and Clive met in England while singing in a local choir. Despite their age difference, they quickly fell in love over their interest and careers in music. Shortly after their marriage, Clive fell ill with encephalitis and a slow response from doctors allowed time for critical memory regions of his brain to be destroyed. Deborah describes the time in the hospital and responses from friends, her fall into depression, a futile attempt to start a new life, and the ups and downs of the next few decades, sometimes with, sometimes without Clive. Deborah documents the story in riveting detail, even providing Clive's own notes and scribbles recording his confusion and desperate desire for Deborah to come be with him - these notes are absolutely the most powerful elements of the book.

The book is beautifully written. I'm not sure that I've ever read about stronger love between two people in such difficult circumstances, and the story ends with a final twist that makes an already powerful book even more astonishing. ( )

I had heard about Clive Wearing's total amnesia on an episode of Radio Lab podcast about identity. This book not only gave an insight into Clive's condition but also how it affected his wife, Deborah. ( )

Imagine one day your husband falls sick with the flu. The next day is his incoherent and delusional. You rush him to the hospital, only to discover that a virus has completely destroyed the memory part of his brain. He is trapped, every conscious moment feels as if he has just woken from a coma, an awakening he repeats every few seconds.

Clive Wearing is one of the most extreme cases of amnesia ever known. A brilliant conductor and music producer, he was at the height of success when his memory was taken from him. Written by his wife, this is a story of love and endurance through the most stressful, disastrous situation one can imagine.

Well-written, this is an engaging look into amnesia, and how it can reshape and change one’s life. Ultimately a story of survival, Deborah is a strong-willed determined woman, one whose life is turned upside down by the unexpected. I highly enjoyed this story, and immediately turned to Google to learn more. ( )

I was very torn about this book. On the one hand, it is the absolutely fascinating, and tragic tale of a musician and conductor who suffered a devastating form of amnesia after a bout of encephalitis - he can only remember a few second of time, so virtually every moment is, for him, the first moment he woke up. His diaries are filled with "9 am Woke up for the first time today. 9.02 am Truly woke up for the first time. 9.05 am Actually fully awake for the first time." On the other hand, it is the narcissistic story of Deborah Wearing, a younger woman who became the conductor's second wife, and who could not stop talking about herself, her struggles, and her spiritual quest. She eventually institutionalizes her husband, leaves the country, divorces him, and then remarries him, and claims theirs is a love for the ages. I wasn't buying it, and mostly came away disliking Deborah Wearing and her selfishness, and pitying the husband, whose condition only marginally improved with the passage of years. ( )

If you are familiar with the Clive Wearing case then you will enjoy this book. ( )