The Memory Dress

Beer’s touching latest (after The Last Dress from Paris) sees a chance meeting between two women change both of their lives. Jayne, a dog walker, leads a quiet life until one of the dogs she cares for gets loose and runs into the apartment of her dementia-stricken neighbor, Meredith Chalis. A retired dressmaker, Meredith is alone and confused, and claims her husband, William, and their daughter, Fiona, are missing. Jayne, determined to help Meredith, gathers neighbors to help clean and organize the apartment and attempts to track down William and Fiona. In hopes of jogging Meredith’s memory as to their whereabouts, Jayne takes her to London to visit locations mentioned alongside sketches of dresses Jayne found in the apartment. Meredith recalls to Jayne how she and William worked for a famous dressmaker and created clothes for Princess Diana, leading Jayne closer to finding out what happened to William and Fiona. Beer’s emotionally rich narrative highlights the devastation of dementia and the solidarity found among those working to lessen its impact. This will move readers. Agent: Sheila Crowley, Curtis Brown. (Nov.)