Blizzard: Là où l'oubli commence (Bayard Graphic)

by Denise Dorrance, Basile Béguerie (Translator)

Que faire lorsque votre mère ne se souvient plus de vous ? Vous prenez le premier vol de votre ville d'adoption, Londres, à votre ville d'origine, Cedar Rapids, lowa, où elle est hospitalisée, blessée et aux prises aux signes extérieurs de démence. Vous vous chargez de lui trouver une nouvelle (et peut-être dernière) maison, bien que l'assurance santé soit insuffisante et que vous deviez peut-être enfin renouer votre relation amère avec votre soeur. Et vous essayez de ne pas penser à la mort, qui vous guette à chaque coin de rue... ou au blizzard qui se rapproche de plus en plus et que les flocons de neige tourbillonnent de plus en plus vite à l'extérieur. Avec des illustrations et des situations à la fois émouvantes et humoristiques, l'autrice Denise Dorrance partage les deux mois les plus perturbés de sa vie : l'appel téléphonique après la découverte de sa mère gisant confuse sur le sol du salon, le choc et la familiarité mêlés d'un rude hiver du Midwest, la tentative d'installer sa mère malade dans un établissement de soins, les inepties du système de santé américain, et les décisions impossibles à prendre pour l'avenir. En incorporant des cartes postales, des photographies et des lettres d'époque, Denise Dorrance capture brillamment la tristesse, la frustration et l'humour grinçant de devoir soudainement s'occuper d'un parent vieillissant et de faire face au moment de transition entre la vie telle qu'on l'a longtemps connue et la vie telle qu'elle doit devenir. Au vertige de devoir s'occuper de sa propre mère comme si elle était devenue son enfant. 

"Ses dessins sont aussi expressifs et habiles que ceux d'Alison Bechdel ou même de Posy Simmonds",The Guardian 

Brut, drôle, déchirant et brillamment simple : Comme tout grand art, Blizzard dévaste de la manière la plus profonde qui soit , The New York Times 

"Ce livre est plein d'espoir, sans pour autant édulcorer les réalités de la prise en charge d'un parent atteint de démence", The Comics Journal 

"Le premier roman graphique de Denise Dorrance dépeint une situation pénible, mais il est aussi plein d'amour et d'excellents gags", The Telegraph

"Avec un humour grinçant, une ingéniosité visuelle et beaucoup de coeur, Dorrance raconte les deux mois glaçants pendant lesquels elle est retournée chez elle pour s'occuper de sa mère malade, alors qu'un vortex polaire se profilait à l'horizon", Oprah Daily. 

"Un travail parfait - une narration franche et autocritique, incorporant des photos et des cartes postales, un rythme effrayant, et une palette bleu-grise et rougeâtre magnifiquement limpide. . . . L'histoire magnifique et plaintive de Denise Dorrance s'adresse à ceux qui s'occupent de parents vieillissants et qui réalisent qu'ils doivent finalement se préparer à leur propre départ. Une lecture lyrique qui s'apparente à celle de Est-ce qu'on pourrait parler d'autre chose ? de Roz Chast, " Library Journal 

Lauréat du LD Comics Rosalind B. Penfold Prize 

Elu par la New York Public Library 2024 Best New Comics for Adults

Genres: Graphic Novels, Memoir, Nonfiction, Comics, Adult, Graphic Novels Comics, Biography

256 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 9, 2025

Reviews

[Elizabeth A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blurb: The what-fresh-hell story of two whirlwind months in the life of the author, when she suddenly has to care for her dementia-impaired mother.

This debut graphic memoir wonderfully captures the heartbreak of aging parents and the complex emotions that accompany that stage in life. I really liked the illustration style and the exploration of themes in this particular, yet universal, tale.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

A daughter rushes home to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, when her elderly mother is injured by a fall in the home where she lives alone and exhibits symptoms of dementia during her hospital stay. What follows is a heartbreaking sink into a morass of assisted living, insurance rigmarole, and family conflict between estranged siblings over care decisions and property.

It's fairly engrossing, but Denise Dorrance portrays herself in such a negative light it becomes harder to maintain sympathy as the tale progresses. First up, she's been living in England for thirty years, and despite being from Iowa she has adopted an English accent that everyone remarks upon throughout the story, bringing up those connotations of appropriation personified by Madonna and Hilaria Baldwin. Dorrance also dwells a lot on her narcissistic concerns about having to help her mother and presents a very one-sided portrait of the sister with whom she has fallen out. Finally, she portrays herself driving intoxicated in a climactic scene.

Despite the above, Dorrance is a relatable narrator going through a tough time that a lot of people are facing or have already experienced. And her art style and quirky celebrity cameos keep the story lively even in the face of overwhelming gloom.

[The Flying Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

This biography of Denise Dorrance is the first graphic novel on this year’s release list that I wanted to read, particularly due to its themes of mental illness and grief. And I’m not necessarily referring to, or not only to, the grief that comes with someone’s physical death but to the grief that arises from the loss of an expectation or when someone is no longer who we hoped they would be.

For me, Denise was brilliant in the way she tackled these issues. In addition to addressing them intimately, she wasn’t afraid to reveal the instinctive, deeply comic, or ironic thoughts that come to us in the most tragic situations and at the most inopportune moments.

The artwork is very engaging, not only because it doesn’t necessarily follow the conventional panel format, being freer in that sense, but because it brilliantly uses the arrival of a climatic phenomenon - the polar vortex - to illustrate not only the whirlwind of emotions that engulf her but also the vortex into which the mother descends when overwhelmed by dementia.

Here, the relationships between parents and children, between siblings, grief, and the corruption of the American healthcare system and insurance companies are explored.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love that graphic memoirs are covering all kinds of new ground, including this reflection on dealing with aging parents and disagreeing with siblings about what they need. I’m haunted by the lost look in her mother’s eyes as she moves through the hospital and nursing home.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The heartbreaking reality of dementia is accurately depicted in this graphic novel, in ways that emotionally resonate with the reader a lot. In particular, the way the eyes of the mother were so sorrowful and confused really emphasized the loss of life she must've felt. I liked how the imagery of snow danced around the mother during her confusion, it was a nice artistic touch.

I couldn't get behind the humor in this book, or the assortment of imaginary characters helping the protagonist process everything, it felt a bit tacky to me. I also felt thrown off by the art style changes like the real pictures throughout, they felt a bit out of place. The ending felt rushed and unfinished.

[karissa✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

raw & heartbreaking

[el (celestialbronz) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heartfelt memoir about a mother living with dementia at her old age. The illustration is in doodle-style, completed with real pictures of the memories the mother kept neatly in the basement. The narrative is laced with light humor, and it gave me a perspective about insurance which is kind of wild I think. Can’t believe there’s people benefitting from the future’s uncertainty just to pay them back in dust when the “worst” is actually happening.

Perfect for Dancing at the Pity Party readers.

[Meghan]

Good. I wish there was more. But this was good.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended by a reading buddy who enjoyed it!!

Denise’s elderly mom falls and is hospitalized, so Denise rushes from London back to her hometown in Iowa around the time of the chilling polar vortex to visit her mom in the hospital and decide on next steps. Her aging mother is struggling with dementia and is moved from the hospital to a care facility while Denise wrestled with whether or not to have her mom move to California to live with Denise’s sister, whom Denise has a rocky relationship with. The work covers the sorrow and nostalgia that comes with helping an elderly parent with dementia, the difficult decisions needed to be made regarding care and finances, and the confusing workings of the US healthcare system. The ending felt abrupt and sad, especially after her mom said she wanted to live in a care home and not be a burden, but it showed me that sometimes we have to make hard decisions. The work did a wonderful job visually displaying the grief and pain the situation often brings, particularly in moments where her mom was confused or did not recognize Denise. I also thought the way death was portrayed as a character waiting, looming, and present was well done. Appreciated the inclusion of photographs, postcards, and letters pasted in and illustrated on/around. Illustrations used a lot of blues, reds, whites, and black, which went along well with the cold weather and with distressing items being emphasized with red. This work covers a sadly common experience with much sensitivity and relatability.

[Estibaliz · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25

'Polar Vortex' bears the subtitle of 'A Family Memoir', but I would say that's relative, as the story seems to center almost exclusively on Denise's side of the story. And, obviously, with her mom suffering from dementia, that makes sense, but I felt a bit uneasy as the way she depicts her relationship with her sister, which seems quite mean at times... though I guess she deserves praise for being honest and sincere. Family dynamics can be tricky and ugly, indeed.

Apart from that, and that ending that wasn't very satisfactory, but once again, raw and honest, this is a wonderful memoir, that doesn't shy away from the harsh reality of life, when your parents get old and the children have to sometimes make decisions for them and/or turn into their caregivers. And sure enough, and as Denise Dorrance shows aptly here, there is not easy answers or easy decisions...

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

A polar vortex is about to hit the Midwest, just in time for a 91 year old matriarch to fall, requiring her daughter to come care for her from London. The use of the snow storm to represent dementia (from the older mother) and hazy memories (from her daughter) is striking. The two struggle as they navigate hosital/rehab/care facilities and insurance. Family drama is touched upon. I loved this graphic novel memoir! Keep them coming!

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this but it was also kind of a hard read due to the subject matter. Brought up a lot of memories and feelings of similar situations I've been in with my grandma and my own mom. Not for everyone but if the descriptions sounds like something you want to read then I'd highly recommend. I'll be thinking about this one for a while.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A moving, deeply personal graphic novel memoir of a middle aged daughter faced with caring for her aging mother with dementia. A great look at the American healthcare system and the way it fails the aging population, especially those with limited funds. Highly recommended, I especially enjoyed the mixed media format style of the illustrations!

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story about dementia and how one's lived one's can completely change due to the illness. A person who used to manage everything with such ease now can't even plan her day, and their kid must make all those decisions with the guilt of not knowing if their parent will approve.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Denise takes us through the emotional and practical struggles of the discovery that a parent has dementia and navigating the American health care system to provide care. I very much enjoyed the perspective of an ex-pat having to come back to the US.

[Benjimanmanman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the doodle style artwork, and it was a real tear jerker.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking

[Maryann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the art and concept, but I found the author’s voice to be pretty judgmental and entitled.

[Chris Brook · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very funny and touching memoir about aging and dementia. I think I saw this recommended in a NYT Books recap of recent graphic novels a few weeks ago, hadn't heard of it, happy I picked it up.

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and powerful insight into elder care in America. Daughter has to rush back to Iowa from England when her elderly mother has a health setback, and becomes aware of just how bad her mother's dementia is. No easy decisions at that point.

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hit close to home for me. No new insight for a daughter caring for a parent with dementia but a comfort nonetheless.

[Corky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure how I feel having completed this memoir. On one hand, the nitpicking of Midwestern culture felt like a low blow of sorts - the author's deep desire to point out her otherness was simply UGH. But at the heart of this story is what we do when those who cared for us now need care. An incredibly difficult predicament, worsened by the American medical system. I wondered more about the sister and was a bit turned off by whatever suggestion bringing up postpartum depression made about her relationship with her mother. Overall I'm happy I read this, it's an important story even if I didn't understand the author's POV.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

If i had read this book 20 years ago, I would have sympathized, but not understood. Those of you who do not have elderly parents have *no* idea what getting them sorted when they can no longer live at home is like. With my mother, we had at least talked about it, and when the time came, she came to live with us.


The author in this story, lives abroad, and knows she can’t get her mother to come live with them, so goes to see what she can do. The way Medicare works in the United States is *very* confusing. The whole principal is that you have to keep getting better. When my partner ended up in the hospital, one of the reasons she was able to get in-hospital rehab was because she *was* getting better. In the case of the mother in this story, she is not getting better. She has dementia of some sort, and doesn’t seem to understand where she is until the system kicks her out and she goes home. There she is herself for the first time in the novel, and finally finds her purse that didn’t go to the hospital with her
The polar vortex in the title is referring to the type of weather that the area where her mother lives is having. Very different from the UK, where the author lives.


An excellent book for those who have gone through this, and those who have yet to go through this. I could see my mother in her mother.


Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is coming out the 5th of March 2024.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this on the heels of Alison Bechdel's Are You My Mother? was a strange experience. Polar Vortex is also about the author's relationship with her aging mother, minus the psychology and literary references. By comparison, Polar Vortex is shockingly direct. The author, living in England, learns that her mother has had an accident in her home and rushes back to Iowa to take care of her.

The first thing the author discovers on arrival is that it's brutally cold in Iowa (as a Wisconsin resident, I know exactly what "polar vortex" means). The second thing is that her mother is suffering from dementia. The book descends from there into the dark realities of caring for an elderly, infirm parent. It's brutally real, from the shocking expense of the US health system to barely acceptable care facilities to the sad coming to terms with a new reality.

So, Polar Vortex is far from a fun read, even though the author occasionally inserts moments of black humor. It's nonetheless compelling and revelatory. The one big mark against it for me? The fact that book ends inconclusively, seemingly midway through the story. If you're hoping to learn something from the author about caring for a parent, you're going to be disappointed in the conclusion.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are you curious what happens (or didn't happen) after the book ends?

I was absolutely moved by this book. When I learned that the author is from Iowa, I reached out to her for an interview.

Here’s a link that takes you straight to the Q&A with Denise Dorrance.

... and if you'd like, you can read the fuller post about that discovery and falling in love with the book.

I hope you enjoy my chat with her if you read it, and that you felt the five-star-feeling as much as I did!

[Diana (diana_reads_and_reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone in the thick of dealing with elderly parents and what’s next, a lot of this was relatable. I appreciated all the struggles with the options, balancing life and care, and the nod to our shitty insurance and elder plans in the U.S. I did not appreciate the author’s obvious disdain of the U.S. despite being American. Even as a liberal who hates the absolute lack of a social safety net, there’s a tone of everywhere abroad is better that can really get under my skin. I don’t like being critical of a memoir, since it is someone’s lived experience and they feel how they feel, but I also like to give a caution to future readers. 3.5 stars.

[Dana Fontaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

So sad! Very very good.

[Shana Bird · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Doreen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5/2024 V thought-provoking, even as I found it somewhat frustrating. Full review tk at TheFrumiousConsortium.net.

3/6/2024 As this graphic memoir opens, Denise Dorrance is a cartoonist living with her husband and son in London. Originally from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, she calls her 91 year-old mom every day just to check in. Mom has been living alone in their hometown since the death of her husband five years prior. When Mom doesn't pick up one day, a concerned Denise has a home assistant go into the house to discover that Mom has, indeed, had a fall and needs to be admitted to hospital.

Denise immediately flies out to Iowa, intending to stay for only one week. But the nightmarescape of trying to find a place good enough to take care of her mother is disorienting, and Denise soon finds herself extending her stay week after week as she attempts to navigate the different and bewildering health, insurance and payment options given to her. Add to this her strained relationship with her younger sister on the West Coast, and the impending polar vortex descending on her childhood home, and she's lost in an emotional spiral even as she tries to be strong for a woman whose mind is clearly slipping.

The art in this graphic memoir is perhaps unsurprisingly excellent. While the linework is overall cartoony, in keeping with the author's usual trade, the use of color to highlight emotion and detail, with the occasional fanciful excursion as Denise allows her imagination to run riot, is outstanding. It really makes the story feel more immediate, intimate and accessible.

I also really loved the rightful excoriation of the American insurance industry as profit-seeking mercenaries who dole out earned benefits stingily at best. I'm not entirely sure how much I agree with the difficulty of bringing an elderly parent to the UK, tho with the current political landscape and the author's obvious reluctance to provide daily care for her mom, I can certainly see where the prospect would seem daunting.

What I genuinely did not fathom was why the author was being so self-centered when it came to her sister offering to take their mother in. There's a certain streak of egotism inherent in any autobiography, and I absolutely sympathized with how difficult it is to acquire a new dependent, particularly in the face of extreme weather conditions. Maybe my confusion is just an Asian thing. My grandmother developed dementia as she aged, and my family accepted it as part of the natural process, taking turns to make sure she was properly taken care of in her own home. That said, my co-parent is white, and his family has also dealt very well with elderly relatives requiring memory care. Idk. I just found myself irritated by the blatant calls for pity, as the narrator occasionally made her mom's issues more about herself than the person who actually needs care. Sympathy I can give, but there were points where I wanted to tell her to grow up already. Get over yourself and let your sister do the right thing. At no point did I think that anything but pride was preventing her from fixing her relationship with her sister enough to make it easier for them both to care for their mom.

Maybe I'm biased because taking care of our parents has been something my siblings and I have openly discussed since our teens. It baffles me that certain demographics just don't think about it, much less talk about what to do when the inevitable occurs. Aging and decline are natural parts of life, and I genuinely don't understand why so many people act like these are taboo subjects. Hopefully, books like Polar Vortex will encourage more people to have these very important conversations, as American social nets in particular continue to fail those who need them the most.

Polar Vortex: A Family Memoir by Denise Dorrance was published yesterday March 5 2024 by The Experiment, and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!

[John M · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my second graphic novel (the first being George Takei’s “They Called Us Enemy.”) While at first these felt like cartoons for adults, both Takei and Dorrance made the graphic presentation into very impactful dramas that straight non-graphic novels have a difficult time achieving.

Dorrance chronicles the awful experience of watching, and caring for, an aging and mentally declining parent in the midst of an Iowa winter, while thousands of miles away from her present London home. I lived too far away while both my father and father-in-law declined and died but was much responsible for my mother and mother-in-law as they slipped away. It is heart-breaking to watch the decline and at the same time be their guardian and companion. At the end, I was not my mother’s son, but just a nice man that came to walk her around the neighborhood on warm, sunny days to view the flowers. There were also funny days and sad days. I was with her on the night she died and held her head during that long night.

Dorrance’s book is a testimonial to the fact the America is basically a scam as many ex-patriots will tell you. Her experiences with the death industry were typical of how the US capitalist system works. Pay in, get little back. Last year I met a woman who had worked with the federal government teaching former Yugoslav socialists that you shouldn’t just get money, but you should have to work for it. Our American system is the opposite - that you work your ass off and don’t get paid much. Some improvement, but only for the wealthy. The UK or Scandinavian welfare/medical systems certainly are not perfect, but a vast improvement over ours.

Back to “Vortex.” It is a heartrending book on the choices we face as a hyper-mobile, disrupted society, leaving our home places, traveling and separating ourselves from our families and childhood friends, rootless. Traditionally, “family” meant three or more generations living together or in close proximity and helping each other. Now, we don’t even have our nuclear family of orientation (born into) but form a new nuclear family of generation and leave. This is simply unhealthy socially and psychologically. But we do it willingly.

The book was brilliantly conceived, illustrated and presented. And it had a good end. Of course her mother regained her bearings in a familiar place! That is where she belonged - at least for a while before starting a new life elsewhere. And, as usual, Murphy’s Laws are seldom violated.