From the Bookshelf of 2015 Reading Challenge [Closed]…

Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant?

Roz Chast

Why we're reading this: Works as a number of things, aside from being published in 2014:
- memoir
- female author
- graphic novel

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[close] Works as a number of things, aside from being published in 2014:
- memoir
- female author
- graphic novel

See my post in the Week 4 forum for my review and more details.

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Dec 05, 2014 Xueting rated it it was amazing

Shelves: biographies-autobiographies-memoirs, unputdownable, graphic-novels-comics

I wish this book didn't cost so darn much so I can buy it and keep it forever. But I'll make do with holding onto my borrowed copy until the last day of my library loan.

This graphic novel-memoir is as hilarious as it is touching, as honest and real as it is an extraordinary story. I'm twenty this year, and only one of my parents this year has just made the cut to enjoy 'senior citizens' benefits, so it's safe to say I haven't gone through the slightest kind of parent care and have that period in I wish this book didn't cost so darn much so I can buy it and keep it forever. But I'll make do with holding onto my borrowed copy until the last day of my library loan.

This graphic novel-memoir is as hilarious as it is touching, as honest and real as it is an extraordinary story. I'm twenty this year, and only one of my parents this year has just made the cut to enjoy 'senior citizens' benefits, so it's safe to say I haven't gone through the slightest kind of parent care and have that period in the future as 94365th on the list of what I'm most worried about right now, every day.

Roz Chast's story and experience makes me think about that inevitable time seriously. Still fearfully, still wishing it will take as much time as possible to arrive in my life, wishing it will be 1000x easier than I think it is. I think that's great, though, to remind myself that it is something to plan for, not just financially and personally, but emotionally in my own ties with my parents right now. And Roz Chast really made her book special and extremely engaging for such a solemn topic, because it's not really a full-on miserable suffering pain fest. She spent so much more time with her parents than she did when she was younger and it's the big looming presence of TIME, not really doing much, that's driving her bats, as she says. Her parents' little quirks of eating, socialising (or lack thereof), stubborn hold onto past appliances waaaay out of use, and especially how her dominating mother and meek father can be so endearing together - these are the little things that exhausted and frustrated her, but she still thinks back on the time and her parents with great affection. I love those pages of photographs she took of her parents' precious junk in their old apartment. Looking at them, I tried to imagine myself looking through old things I vaguely recognised. I think this strange mix of emotions is something that we will all feel about our parents, and it's not a bad mix.

The drawings in this book are delightful! It's not exactly 'beautiful', it's more like sketches and it feels as though Roz Chast never made a single edit to her drawings or words, just drew and wrote in one long day without a break (although she most likely didn't). But that's what made them even more real and definitely more hilarious for me. All those facial expressions!!! Those bulging eyeballs! I giggled at almost every page! The little anecdotes of her past and her father's quirks were the best to me. Her parents were some goofy people. They contrast quite a lot with those drawings she did of her mother during her last months, those were different, they made me really stop and look closely, but every single page in the book was lovely. ...more

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