Things to Do in A Retirement Home Trailer Park ... when you're 29 and unemployed - Hardcover

Wright, Aneurin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1908434104 ISBN 13: 9781908434104

Publisher: Myriad Editions, 2008

Synopsis

A tour-de-force and eight years in the making, this is a powerful, superbly-drawn and deeply moving portrait of a young man coming to terms with his dying father, and with his own life, as he takes care of the old man in his final months.

When Nye's father phones to wish him a happy birthday, and reveals he has been ‘certified for hospice’, Nye slumps down on the nearest doorstep in shock. Unemployment means that he is free to move in to the trailer park where his father lives, and assume the role of chief carer. Their daily schedule of pill counting and medical checks unfolds into an extraordinary world where the protagonist is a minotaur, his father a rhinoceros, social workers are sea turtles and mobile homes move atop gigantic elephants. Curious neighbours and medical and social care workers – whether man or beast – become their friends, and the family comes together once more. And as the old man battles against emphysema, his shortness of breath becomes more evident until his speech bubbles, previously charged with pithy comment, are mostly filled with pauses.

About this title

About the Author:

Aneurin Wright earned a BA in English literature from Yale and a BFA in illustration and communication design from the Pratt Institute. He was the animation director for the "Short History of the United States" cartoon sequence in Michael Moore’s Academy Award-winning documentary Bowling for Columbine. He currently draws a weekly strip for the Waterstone’s Bookseller Blog called Sprout’s Bookclub.

Review:

'The inventive symbolism never overwhelms the emotional honesty grounding this compelling memoir, which also contributes to the burgeoning field of "graphic medicine" by exploring in both frank and funny terms the complex impact of illness and death on a family.' - Times Literary Supplement (Paul Gravett) 'A work of unflinching reality and subtle beauty. The graphic novel Wright has created is beautifully illustrated and poetic in its phrasing. The ellipses are perfectly balanced with what he calls the 'golden moments,' the beats telling the story. With such a deft touch and the ability to soak so many complex emotions into each page, Aneurin Wright's Things to do in a Retirement Home Trailer Park - deserves a place next to the richest memoirs as well as the most vibrant fantasies.' - Arts Journal 'A beautifully crafted graphic novel about a father and son who learn how to understand, accept and forgive each other, and themselves, as one life draws to a close and another begins. Drawn with compassion, sensitivity and humour, it offers an emotionally honest insight into the impact of a terminal disease on everyone affected by it.' - Pamreader 'Wright is an amazing talent' (worldfamouscomics.com); 'his work is 'stunning' (icomics. com); 'marvellous, emotional...it succeeds because it is real' (comicswaitingroom.com)

About this edition

• Publisher: Myriad Editions
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1908434104
• ISBN 13: 9781908434104
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320