Graphic Novel Review – Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?

This is a graphic novel memoir about the author’s experiences with aging and dying parents.  Not only is Roz Chast the author but also the illustrator.  When the novel begins, Roz’s parents are in their early 90’s but are still living in their own apartment in Brooklynn, New York City while Roz resides in Connecticut.  We follow Roz’s experiences with putting her parents into a care facility, cleaning out their apartment, the death of her father, the continuing decline and costly care of her mother and finally her mother’s passing.

This is not a graphic novel that I could have read a few years ago as my own experiences with my mother’s dementia, having to put her into a care home and her eventual passing would have been just too raw, however, enough time has now passed that I was able to experience the frustration and humor without it feeling personal.  There were many times I laughed out loud simply because I could relate to Roz’s experiences with her parents.

I loved the drawings and the colors used.  I have not read a lot of graphic novels, however, the ones that I have read and/or looked through are mostly black and white drawings or dark, heavy colors are used.  This book is done in bright colors such as yellows, oranges, blues and greens and I found it refreshing and it made such a difference in my enjoyment factor.

I definitely recommend this memoir in the graphic novel format – it was a hit with me!