Title: Can’t We Talk about Something More Pleasant? Author: Roz Chast
First published May 6, 2014
228 pages, Hardcover
ISBN: 9781608198061 (ISBN10: 1608198065)
Rating: 4.14
Overview
Roz Chast’s Can’t We Talk about Something More Pleasant? is an honest and hilarious memoir about the challenges of caring for aging parents.
Through colorful cartoons, family photos, and documents, Chast chronicles the last years of her mother and father’s lives, as she navigates the complex emotions of denial, avoidance, and distraction. From the anxiety of dealing with the physical realities of aging to the logistical nightmare of finding the right care, Chast’s memoir is both a comfort and a guide for anyone facing the life-altering loss of elderly parents.
With her signature wit and humor, Chast’s memoir is a beautiful tribute to her parents, and a universal story of love, loss, and acceptance.
About the Author
Meet Rosalind Chast, a talented American cartoonist and staff cartoonist for The New Yorker. Born and raised in Flatbush, Brooklyn, Roz was the only child of an assistant principal and a high school teacher.
She started drawing cartoons in her early years, and her work was featured in publications like Christopher Street and The Village Voice. In 1978, The New Yorker published one of her cartoons, and she has since contributed over 800 more to the magazine.
Roz also shares her work in Scientific American and the Harvard Business Review.
After graduating from Midwood High School in Brooklyn, Roz attended Kirkland College, which later merged with Hamilton College. She continued her studies at the Rhode Island School of Design, where she received a BFA in painting in 1977.
Her impressive career has earned her honorary doctorates from Pratt Institute and Dartmouth College, and membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Today, Roz is represented by the Danese/Corey gallery in Chelsea, New York City.
Editoral Review
In “Can’t We Talk about Something More Pleasant?” Roz Chast has crafted an incredibly moving and insightful memoir that delves into the complexities of family, aging, illness, and death. Chast is an accomplished cartoonist and has always used her illustrations to convey humor and wit, but in this book, she tackles a much somber topic – the decline of her elderly parents.
The book is told in both words and drawings, with Chast using her trademark wry humor to navigate the emotional terrain of her parents’ final years. Her parents were a fascinating pair – difficult, eccentric, and deeply flawed but also funny, loving, and endlessly fascinating.
Chast explores every aspect of their lives with a remarkable candor, from their courtship and marriage to their personalities, idiosyncrasies, and medical struggles. The text is beautifully written, and the illustrations are exquisitely rendered, with each panel providing a poignant snapshot of her parents’ lives.
The book is both a love letter to her parents and an honest portrayal of the challenges of end-of-life caregiving, making it a memoir that will resonate with anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one. One of the standout features of “Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?” is Chast’s use of humor to balance the heaviness of the topic.
She doesn’t shy away from the realities of aging, but she also finds moments of levity and absurdity that will make readers laugh out loud. Overall, “Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?” is a powerful and deeply affecting book that shines a light on some of the most difficult aspects of life.
Chast’s mastery of both words and images makes this a unique and memorable memoir that will resonate with readers for years to come. For those in the target audience, especially those who have cared for aging parents, this book is a must-read.
It provides insight, solace, and even a few laughs in the face of one of life’s most challenging experiences. I highly recommend it.
5/5 Stars.
