How ‘Last Things-A Graphic Memoir of Loss and Love’ Left Me In Tears.

This graphic memoir by Marissa Moss deals extensively with her husband’s illness and how it damaged their perfect family setup. This is a graphic memoir where Moss is very candid about her experiences as a wife and mother who had to face the pain of her husband’s illness. Their peaceful life in California USA was soon to be disrupted by Harvey’s(Moss’s husband) illness. The very beginning of the memoir gives subtle indications about how deep the love was between Harvey and Moss. Moss was working as a waitress when they first met, deep down ,however, she was a writer and Harvey believed in her potential as a writer. Moss herself describes the same and the memoir drags the reader deep into their intimate relationship which was rooted in mutual love and support.

The memoir soon turns dark and travels down the road of despair as Harvey is diagnosed with ALS. Moss herself was a broken child as she received very little love and support from her family as a child. It was Harvey that gave her the love she deserved and the disease was making them drift apart, Moss was back at square one. One of the major crises that Mos has to deal with here was revealing the news to her three sons. Harvey discourages her from doing so, it appears only Simon the eldest son has figured that something is wrong and he tries to cover for his mother by diverting the questions posed by his younger brothers. However, sadly towards the end of the memoir we see the boys grow more agitated and restless and start venting their frustration on Moss, their mother.

Moss uses certain specific graphical elements in her memoir to give the reader a peek into what was coming up next. At a certain point we see Moss worrying about being trapped in this ALS crisis. It might appear as if Moss is not willing to care for her husband, but the truth is that she loves him and wants him to receive the best care possible while finding the ways to support her family financially. While speaking of graphical elements one key observation would be that even though Moss’s work is a graphic memoir, at times the work is very text heavy and the graphics lose their coordination and are unable to further the storyline like they used to be.

The impact that a disease has on one's family and life is what drives Last Things. It is a story of lost love, intimacy and happiness, all because of an incurable disease. While the world around seems to be a mix of help and rejection, Moss has effectively focused less on the rejections and has paid tribute to her friends who were by her when she needed them. The memoir also describes how a family which was once a happy and cheerful place pouring with the joyous laughs of children and parents was shaken down into a pit of despair by a disease.

Moss in this memoir takes a haesh approach to the medical practices. She describes medical practices to be emotionless and blunt. As the autobiography progresses we find Harvey getting sick ever so more every other day. The family is caught in a turmoil courtesy of ALS, Moss is losing her husband both physically and emotionally. The children too vent their anger and desperation on Moss. Moss uses certain instances where she is drawing the struggles of a single mother trying to push the family forward while in place of appreciation and support all she receives is harsh criticism. One instance draws this struggle into a very lifelike sketch, being a graphic memoir this adds to the intensity. In that particular page where Moss is being told by Asa that she is only doing 40% of the housework okay, we see how Moss writes, “That is a big improvement over earlier ratings”.

Last Things by Marissa Moss is definitely not the typical autobiography. It is crafted at a very deep emotional level which speaks of Moss’s struggles, of her loss, of her memories and small things in her life which made it worthwhile. However, Last Things does serve as an inspiration and brings anyone who has gone through the struggle to tears as they will be reliving their experiences. However, most people might prefer not to remember their painful past but Moss’s approach to life itself is very inspiring. She was as strong as she could be in those dire times. Moss shows exceptional qualities of love and compassion combined with the strength to keep her family from falling apart.

Credits: This article is very much inspired by Marissa Moss's graphic memoir.