What do you think?
Rate this book
The Progressive Problem
When a cat grows up and begins to have a problem, his owners make decisions to force the cat to confront mortality and the darker side of human indifference.
Questions regarding death, convenience, and futility converge in the guise of this suburban feline tragedy.
Questions regarding death, convenience, and futility converge in the guise of this suburban feline tragedy.
67 pages, Paperback
First published March 7, 2012
46 people want to read
About the author
Landis Blair
19 books82 followersLandis Blair illustrated the prize-winning graphic novel The Hunting Accident and the New York Times bestseller From Here to Eternity, and has published illustrations in the New York Times, Chicago magazine, and Medium. He lives in Chicago, Illinois.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 24, 2016
Landis Blair would seem to be the heir to Edward Gorey whom, of all the people in the world, he says he is "fond." He wears bowties and is afraid of the dark. I saw him once at CAKE, an alternative comics convention here in Chicago, and he was wearing a bowtie. And smiling. He says he likes bowties. Maybe he was smiling because he was wearing a bowtie. He certainly looked dapper, in the Gorey tradition. He is also one damned good artist in the Gorey tradition.
I read many of his works here:
http://www.landisblair.com
and have enjoyed them, and thus was led to buy this one, as a result.
The story is about an older cat who gets a urinary tract infection, which forces her owners to make decisions about their commitment to her. The decisions they make are. . . consistent with the kinds of decisions people make in Edward Gorey books. This is sort of more a macabre illustrated book for adults, but it looks like a children's picture book. My kids like cats (and so do I!) so I have been hesitant to share it with them, but I thought the idea for this book was darkly hilarious. Amusingly anti-sappy picture book, yippie!
I read many of his works here:
http://www.landisblair.com
and have enjoyed them, and thus was led to buy this one, as a result.
The story is about an older cat who gets a urinary tract infection, which forces her owners to make decisions about their commitment to her. The decisions they make are. . . consistent with the kinds of decisions people make in Edward Gorey books. This is sort of more a macabre illustrated book for adults, but it looks like a children's picture book. My kids like cats (and so do I!) so I have been hesitant to share it with them, but I thought the idea for this book was darkly hilarious. Amusingly anti-sappy picture book, yippie!
December 11, 2016
Actually read this back in 2013 (it wasn't on Goodreads at the time), so I've had to search back to find my original thoughts from when I first read it, which were as follows:
"I just read it, and I was crying by the time I finished! I immediately contacted the local bookstore down here that specializes in important works for social change and begged them to carry it. The art was so poignant and the words were stark and sharp. The cat's eyes on page 6 alone...As a vet tech I've treated those conditions and there was something about his art that perfectly captured the cat's shock, pain, and confusion. This book is important and convicting... it can't help but provoke deep empathy. Wonderful!"
"I just read it, and I was crying by the time I finished! I immediately contacted the local bookstore down here that specializes in important works for social change and begged them to carry it. The art was so poignant and the words were stark and sharp. The cat's eyes on page 6 alone...As a vet tech I've treated those conditions and there was something about his art that perfectly captured the cat's shock, pain, and confusion. This book is important and convicting... it can't help but provoke deep empathy. Wonderful!"
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews