This feels like something I don't grasp at this stage in my life but in 20 years or so it'll make sense to me.

The illustrations and colors are great. It works well with the story. I think any graphic novel reader would enjoy the story. I enjoyed the flow of the panels and how the story slowly unfolded. I think a lot of people can relate to this story. It can be hard to take care of your parents when you have your own things going on in life.

Dorrance tackles a heartbreaking and difficult subject in this graphic memoir: being torn between wanting to live your own life with the family you've created, and needing to care for an elderly parent who lives far away.

After decades spent in London, the author returns home to the Midwest in the middle of a brutal winter. Her mother is suffering from dementia, and can no longer care for herself. She needs a place to live with round the clock care. The baffling American medical/insurance system offers little help.

Tough decisions need to be made.

I have been there, and done this, and it's no picnic. You're either wracked with guilt, or made to be a martyr. Luckily my mother was cogent enough to say, "Go home. Be with your boys." And, so I did. Yeah . . . I chose the guilt option.

This is a well done and touching examination of end-of-life care, and the impact it has on every family member.

A very tender read about a woman working her way through the American healthcare system and trying to obtain the end of life care her mother deserves. A graphic novel we need! I particularly loved the use of the grim reaper as a device to provide the looming pressure one feels while caring for an aging relative.

Beautifully written/drawn and emotionally devastating. In telling the story of finding care for her mother living with dementia, Dorrance captures details that bring her experiences to life in ways that will resonate with many readers. I appreciate the lack of easy answers in her mother's situation, the realism of the dialogue, as well as the dark humor that comes along with some of Dorrance's imagined conversations with Death. Dorrance doesn't shy away from the pain and frustration of balancing both the emotions and financial reality of caring for an aging parent from a distance. A heavy, reflective read that may evoke a lot of feelings related to the inadequacy of elder care in the United States.

What are we, without our memories? The past defines us, but it is not guaranteed to be with us forever. But even without those memories, our actions echo outward, the person we were defining the lives of others in ways large and small. In Polar Vortex: A Family Memoir, cartoonist Denise Dorrance tells the story of caring for her aging mother after a dramatic fall, and the emotional and dissociating anxieties and fears that go hand-in-hand with witnessing a loved one gripped by dementia.

I have not dealt directly with this--but I have seen my wife and her mother navigate these waters and the toll it takes, the excruciating frustration of the American health insurance system refusing to provide care for those who most need it. Throughout the pages of Polar Vortex, Dorrance crafts a humorous and heartbreaking depiction of the impossible decisions of where and how to prepare for a loved one's final days. Throughout, Death himself is a constant presence, casually strolling through the halls of hospitals and elder care homes, sprawled casually on the furniture of Dorrance's childhood home. The Polar Vortex of the title refers not only to the literal arctic bomb that pelted the midwest with painful cold and dangerous levels of snow several years ago but also to the emotionally chilling cyclone that rips through Dorrance's life.

Throughout the story, the artist pulls us as readers back into her family history, reminding us that though we experience life as only forward motion, the past is ever-present. One of the story's primary threads is the strained relationship between the author and her younger sister. As they each struggle with the reality of their mother's declining mental state, they reach across time and space to embrace one another in mutual sacrifice. In one of the most touching moments of the story, Dorrance embodies her childhood self, cradling her baby sister, reclaiming a semblance of a happier time amidst the darkest moment of her life.

But though the past exists within and around us in ways we rarely recognize, this memoir deals directly with the fragility of memory and what it means to exist without it. Old ghosts haunt Dorrance even as they abandon her mother. The stark white of the winter setting saps the world of its color and life. Dorrance plays with collage and mixed media to strong effect, utilizing old postcards and stock imagery to capture Cedar Rapids Iowa frozen in time of her mother's childhood.

The book is not perfect. Dorrance's art, though intentionally loose to capture the immediacy of emotion in her simplified figures, comes off more as amateurish than stylish. Jpeg artifacting and blurry digital manipulation make certain pages feel like they were created hastily and thrown onto a Geocities webcomic. It's not the first time I've seen this in recent memoir graphic novels, and it may be an intentional choice to capture something of the do-it-yourself, hand-crafted spirit of that era. There is simplicity and directness of expression and then there is messiness, and this falls into the latter more often than the former. The lack of traditional panels likewise muddles the imagery.

Still, there is more here to appreciate than not, and ultimately Polar Vortex offers an emotional and deeply human reflection on the pains of aging and loss, all while mining humor from among the gallows. A worthwhile read, particularly for those who feel alone in their grief.

The full review is available on urbaneturtle.com

This book hit every chord it could for me. I related so hard and found myself feeling every feeling. I enjoyed the simple, classic, yet subdued illustrations. I especially enjoyed the authentic and realistic voice. I feel like things wrapped up kind of quickly and would have liked it a little more in that matter, but like in life. we don't always get the opportunity to do so. This one really got the tears and harsh realities rolling for me, but did so in a calm and understanding matter. The vulnerability was overwhelming for a graphic novel and I loved that it felt like you were simply reading a comic about your best friend's life.

I loved this poignant and moving graphic memoir. The artwork is expressive and carries you quickly through the story, keeping a hopeful and encouraging mood on a sensitive topic, which could have been portrayed far more darkly. It struck a good balance.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC, all opinions are my own.

I think this is an important topic and a graphic novel may be a good way to express what's happening. However, I didn't finish it, as I didn't enjoy the main character, and everything about it (including the illustrations) was depressing. I found the tone to be boring, and it didn't really hold my interest, as much as I wanted to know what was going to happen. Thanks to Netgalley and The Experience for the advance digital copy.

Beautifully written and drawn graphic memoir about dealing with an aging parent. I am beginning this journey myself and found this boom so relatable. I couldn’t put it down..

I was able to read an advance copy through NetGalley. I wish I could remember where I heard about this book because I'm so glad I had it on my TBR list. Truly a brutiful and moving memoir that captures the challenge of how to best care for loved ones with dementia.

Thank you The Experiment LLC and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this book. This book hit very close to home for me as I’m currently in the same situation, taking care of my father with dementia. It accurately describes the agonizing decisions we, as family members, have to make to provide the best quality of life for the elderly parent who is unable to do it on their own. Both heartbreaking and realistic, thank you for bringing awareness to this important stage of our lives.

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.

This book is just sad. I cannot finish it. It’s a memoir of a woman who is constantly wanting to run away from home, but has return home when her mother with dementia falls ill. She has to do what she can to take care of her mom while laminating her brother‘s death and her sisters indifference. These two can’t get along. Most of this book at the halfway point has been how she feels about her mom and a little bit about her mom‘s history, It's also about what she hates about living in the US. There are some interesting things, for example death as a character shows up on multiple pages and even talks with the protagonist. Death is looming over the entire story. The reader knows where this book is headed but I have no desire to get there. It’s sad the protagonist is unlikable and I really have no desire to finish this book.

Polar Vortex is a story about becoming your parent's caregiver when they can no longer to care for themselves. Denise is living in London when she receives a call that her mother needs her. She rushes back to the US, during a terrible winter, completely unprepared for the weather and the life changing situation she is about to undertake. As days turn into weeks, Denise has to navigate the heath care and elder care system for her mother, trying her best to take her wishes into consideration while dealing with the realities of finances and family. Though sad and stark, Denise shows the humanity and love that caregivers feel as they must go through at this tough chapter of life.

There's something about a graphic novel memoir that makes them hit harder. I've always loved reading them, and so thought I would take a chance on this one. I popped it open soon as I got the ARC just to read a few pages and didn't stop till I was done. It was a gut punch, but also beautiful, but also hard. It's universal and personal. I plan on buying myself a hard copy when it comes out, and I hope you'll take the time to read and love this as much as i have. Blankets has always been one of my favorite graphic novels and this reminded me of that but on the other side of life. Those relationships and memories make us who we are.

I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest review.

A story of mother and daughter. A memoir of a daughter having to take care of her mother who develops dementia. Not easy to handle. Reminded me a lot of my father. Unfortunately it is many times unavoidable as we age. Hospitals, doctors, rehabs, home, back and forth, the whirlwind never ends. Thank you Dorrance for sharing this story, so many can have a guide and awakening to what can and might be.
I just reviewed Polar Vortex by Denise Dorrance. #PolarVortex #NetGalley

A melancholic memoir of what happens when it is time to care for your elderly parents who are ailing. Dementia particularly hard as they rarely remember their family and friends.

Denise portrays her experience well and the illustrations are the perfect match.

Thank you NetGalley and The Experiment for giving me the opportunity to read this!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

This was a wonderfully done work. It speaks of the grief of dealing with a parent's dementia, unability to take care for themselves and having to prepare yourself for their future death. It deals with the topic genuinely. It takes you through the process slowly and emotionally. It takes it's time to linger on the seemingly meaningless everyday moments - which are all tainted by the grief, the fear, the guilt, the anger and love.

The artstyle is pleasant, at times very beautiful, always clear. Both easy on the eye and easy to read.

I, personally, did not like this book. It just wasn't my cup of tea, but I know that there is a fanbase out there for this book that will love it.