i had seen roz chast's memoir, can we talk about something more pleasant? on a handful of must read list. however, i didn't start paying attention until i saw it included on best of 2014 lists and since i realized i hadn't read many of the books listed on the best of 2014 lists (though i have read books that came out in 2014), i decided to check it out.
prior to this memoir, i was not familiar with chast work. she is a cartoonist for the new yorker. i also was not familiar with the premise for the book. based on the title and the cover, i thought it was going to be a fun stories of how parents get senile as they grow older and the odd conversations we have with them. however, it is actually about her dealing with her parents aging and their deaths. whenever chast tried to have a conversation about death, "can we talk about something more pleasant?" would be her parents' response. i have to admit that i was a little bit worried about reading this because it has been a year since my grandmother death. i was worried about it bringing up painful memories or that i might just randomly burst into tears. it didn't. though it reminded me how grateful i was to be with my grandma in her final years of life. i always claimed that it was good for me to be back home for her to keep an eye on me but in reality, it was better to have her taking care of me.
being a graphic memoir, i actually finished the book in a day, probably closer to an afternoon. it was an enjoyable read though it did remind me that i have a rough time ahead of me as my mom starts to grow older. in fact, my aunt tracey and my uncle bob too. but i don't want to think about that now.
the memoir is completely honest. it covers all of the anxiety and stress that comes with dealing with aging parents. and chast is a little neurotic and i was often shocked by how she reacted to some events. for example, when chast's mother had her fall and went to the er, chast did not go to the hospital until a couple of hours after she got the phone call. i understand that each person deals with emergencies in their own way, but i don't know how she didn't immediately rush to the hospital. another time i was shocked was when her mother was released and instead of spending the night with her parents, she went back home. again some people are different. and i hate to be judgy, because it is tough and i have no idea what i would do if i was in that situation, i mean she is an only child and when i go through this i will have my siblings as support. i hate to be so mean, but it was still shocking to read.
and i know that its easier to said then done, but i can honestly say that i have done. i'm not saying that i am better than chast and i hate to seem so judgy. but i am extremely squeamish when it comes to hospitals, like i could never sit through the emergency scenes in "ER" or the surgery scenes of "nip/tuck", however, i was always fine with staying overnight in the hospital room with my grandma. in fact, my sister and i stayed with her in icu, one of the nights we were warned could be one of her last (thankfully we had her for a couple more weeks).
and please don't take the examples as what time person chast. she was actually very dedicated to making sure her parents were taken care of and comforted. those were just two incidents that stuck out to me as i read. there is alot more beauty to this book. there is of course some humor, and i plan on reading more of her works. it s a beautiful work in which she pays tribute to her parents and gives a very honest view of how tough it is to deal with death.
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