Tangles: A story about Alzheimer's, my mother, and me

I've been wanting to read this since before it even came out, when Leavitt's bio in a magazine read "...working on a graphic novel about her mother's diagnosis of Alzheimer's."

I do not have any direct experience with Alzheimer's (yet), though it has snuck up on and destroyed a couple of my parents' friends. Developing Alzheimer's, or any form of dementia, is one of my mother's greatest fears, and I think it has become one of mine.

This book is everything I expected and hoped for. Honest, funny, tear-generating, and terrifying. Leavitt is just so GOOD at what she does. I especially liked her self-portrait drawings of when she was angry or lost in sadness (monsters, forked tongue, skulls...).

It’s not just a problem for the curly-headed folks: even with straight hair, there are tangles, knots, and snarls. Everybody can relate to the struggle to make a course smooth once more. And these days, increasingly large numbers of readers will also relate to the experience of losing a loved one to dementia. As a memoir, Tangles has the potential to reach a wide audience and I hope that its format -- I'd call it a graphic novel, but it's not a novel -- results in even more readers discovering this slim volume.

Even when Sarah Leavitt is drawing the curls that erupt from her head, the reader has the sense of every stroke, every tightly drawn curve, being deliberate and exact. And that’s as it should be; her mother, Midge, was show more diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 1996, and the author kept notes and records for the duration of her illness, so this book has been in progress for many years. It’s no wonder that it is a polished document.

But that sense of purpose does not detract from the raw intimacy of the story. It’s so striking that there are times when you simply have to set it aside, to reflect. The reader can’t help but feel as though they have peered behind closed doors. Of course that is the nature of memoir, but this is an incredibly revealing tale: flinch-worthy at times.

This is a highly emotive story. If you think it will hurt less in a drawing, you’re mistaken. But that’s the wonder of Tangles too. If you think that you can’t be touched by a graphic novel, this would be the one to prove you wrong.

A more detailed review is available here if you're keen. show less

I'm not sure what I can say about this. I know Sarah personally, and I'm embarrassed to say this is the first time I've read this book. However, I spied my mom's copy in her house, and now that my mom seems to be starting down the path to dementia, I felt compelled to pick it up. It is a heartbreaking story that echoes many similar themes in my own life and relationship with my mom. Sarah's memoir is an intimate portrait of Alzheimer's and what it does to the people who suffer from it, and everyone around them. Her story is frank and honest about the sadness and frustration that creeps in and overwhelms, even in a loving family. Thank you Sarah, for sharing your story. It scares and saddens me, but I'm grateful for it.

I heard about this book because it was on the long list for Canada Reads 2012. It didn't make the cut to the final 10 but I placed a hold on it and picked it up at the library this afternoon. I really related to this book because my mother also had Alzheimer's before she died. One big difference though is that Sarah's mother had early onset AD; she was only 52 when she started having problems. But a lot of the challenges for family members and caregivers are the same. Sarah doesn't pull any punches in this book. She reveals the intimate details of caring for a woman who can no longer look after herself. That's one of the tragedies of this disease. Roles are reversed between parent and child. Through it all Sarah continued to love her show more mother and spend time with her. Too many people turn away from the person with Alzheimer's because it is hard to see the decline. But there are always moments that make a visit worthwhile, maybe not every visit, but some of them, and that's precious. show less

This really hit home for me. With a bare drawing style, Leavitt really paints a beautiful picture of the journey through this disease. Some stages I recognized. Others I have packed away for the time I will experience it. I have already been treasuring the time I have with my mom, and I am relieved that we have already been freed of the caregiving aspects, but I know emotional journey all too well already. I cry for what is ahead. Hopefully not for a while.

Vancouver-based lesbian cartoonist, writer, and editor Sarah Leavitt’s graphic memoir Tangles: A Story about Alzheimer’s, My Mother, and Me is not for the faint of heart. It’s a powerful work, to be sure, but this power comes at quite a cost: Tangles is ultimately a heartbreaking and difficult read. At the same time though, it’s honest, beautiful, and important, perhaps because it’s so hard to read at times. If you’re looking for graphic narratives focused on queerness, Tangles isn’t that, although Leavitt’s sexuality does play a small part in the narrative. The memoir is, however, an impressively complex look at the issues that come with aging and ill parents, with a striking honesty and straightforwardness.

I’ll get show more what I liked least about the book out of the way first: the drawings. Maybe I’m spoiled by the density and complexity of Alison Bechdel’s two graphic memoirs or the lush colour and detail of the Y: The Last Man series, but I found Leavitt’s drawings sparse and unpolished. The people were little more than stick figures, and were roughly drawn...

See the rest of my review at my blog: http://caseythecanadianlesbrarian.wordpress.com/2012/12/31/a-heartbreaking-and-p... show less

I'm not a real fan of the graphic novel. This was really well done though. A touching story with real insight and hope for others in the same shoes.