Seventy-one, and a man used to controlling those around him, Saul struggles to make peace with his disconnected family before Alzheimer’s consumes his sanity.

His ramblings, humor, emotions, lucid moments, and confusion are laid bare, as well as the thoughts and feelings of his loved ones: his wife, Monique, conflicted and depressed…caring, yet angry; his daughter, Florence, compassionate, yet proper and reserved; his son, Joey, self-centered and narcissistic, seemingly indifferent to his family’s challenges; and his doctor, an Alzheimer’s specialist, who cares for Saul until his final days.

From the beginning Saul and his family know how it has to end, because no one has ever outsmarted Alzheimer’s. But as they navigate the meandering road that will eventually bring Saul’s demise, they leave behind their once disconnected lives and come together to weather their difficult journey.

Heartfelt and moving, this lauded novel, winner of 2014 gold medals from the Independent Publisher Book Awards, Readers’ Favorite Book Awards, and the Living Now Book Award for Inspirational Fiction, will appeal to fans of Lisa Genova’s Still Alice or Nicholas Sparks’s The Notebook.

Best Book Of 2014 —Alzheimer’s Weekly

Revised edition: This edition of An Absent Mind includes editorial revisions.

Born in Montreal, and later moving to California where he graduated from UCLA with a master’s in business, Eric Rill went on to run a global hotel group. After discovering his passion for adventure, he left the corporate world, travelling and enjoying the excitement of skydiving, scaling volcanoes, scuba-diving—and, to his surprise, stand-up comedy. Somewhere along the way he also discovered the joy of writing fiction.

His first two bestsellers were thrillers, Pinnacle of Deceit and The Innocent Traitor. Then came An Absent Mind, a novel about family and adversity. His latest, The Window Washer, inspired by a real life situation, takes the reader into the world of killers, money launderers, moral and immoral cops, and corrupt politicians.

Now living in Panama, Eric is available to connect with your book club through Skype. Just contact him at pantravel@gmail.com.

Eric Rill's profile page

“Rill’s brilliant novel about Alzheimer’s is so well-crafted, the fully-human characters seem real...unvarnished prose reminiscent of Hemingway’s straightforward style.” —Clarion/Foreword Review (5 stars)

“This book on dementia is as amazing as it is informative! Best book of 2014.” —Alzheimer’s Weekly

“An uncommonly brave book...Rill invests every page with true feeling.” —Starred BlueInk Review

“Rill skillfully portrays the various stages of the disease...Readers who have a loved one with Alzheimer’s might find some comfort in the novel’s insights.” —Kirkus Review

“The mark of a good novel is one that makes you laugh and cry and An Absent Mind hits the target dead center. Saul takes you into the heart of a person who knows something is going terribly wrong.” —L.S. Fisher, Early onset Alzheimer’s blog

“This book really shows what someone with Alzheimer’s goes through, as well as the experiences of those who care for him.” —Pat White, Memories from my life Alzheimer’s blog

“Witness Alzheimer’s from many perspectives...Rill tells this heart-wrenching story in an uplifting manner that will engage the reader from the beginning to the end of the Reimer family’s journey.” —EYES IN Books

“It is a powerful story told in a unique way. I recommend this book.” —Bob Lowry, author of Satisfying Retirement

“Through the art of fiction, Rill gives a harrowing, hard-hitting look at the true nature of Alzheimer’s. It is both shocking and informative.” —Stuart Nulman, Montreal Times

“This is a novel, but anyone who has been involved in the care of someone with dementia will know it is not fiction.” —Linda Bernstein, nextavenue.org (PBS)