Emily Rapp

2.5 stars

Rapp made some good points and observations in the first half of the book, particularly on what it's like to live with a disability (read: not as devastating as people imagine). The second half dragged for me, and felt like filler. Perhaps this was just because the author and I have very different personalities and so we grieve very differently.

It was sad to see that though she had grown up in a Christian family, the author never became a Christian herself, and her spiritual beliefs are a conglomeration of various religions and systems. Because of this, she doesn't necessarily believe in God or heaven, and so has no assurance of life after death for her son. This left the book without any real conclusion, and that contributed to my not liking the second half much.

I hate to complain about a book like this, that's so personal, but I also wished she had spent a few more minutes describing Tay-Sachs, the rare disease her son has. I'd never heard of it, and the book didn't give me a clear picture of what it actually is.

Rapp quotes a lot of poetry, which just isn't my thing, and some of the language was a bit flowery for me. There was also quite a bit of profanity.

I wouldn't bother to recommend this one. It's one of those books I'll barely remember a year from now. It's already fading fast...… (meer)

I don't get memoirists who spend their whole book feeding you other author's quotes. It's like being in a relationship with someone who gives you mix tapes instead of actually talking with you.

So, yeah, this book is crammed with epigraphs, quotes, and literary analysis as the author writes an academic examination of grief while dealing with the terminal diagnosis for her infant son. I found it hard to engage with the author as she constantly pushed other people's thoughts between us.

This is not the sort of book I would usually read, but I was intrigued by the notion of reading Emily Rapp's take on the same events covered in her ex-husband's recent and moving graphic memoir, Ronan and the Endless Sea of Stars. Their takes on the events aren't different, per se, but the way they processed them into their writing is very different. Reading the two together is sort of interesting, but if you can only read one, go for the graphic novel.… (meer)