'New Yorker' cartoonists confess to nightmare kitchens

New Yorker cartoonists Roz Chast and Jason Adam Katzenstein navigate the intersection of humor, shame, and domestic dysfunction in their graphic memoir, *The Two Saddest Kitchens*. Neglected spaces—from moldy refrigerator contents to overflowing junk drawers—stand in stark contrast to the idealized, consumerist kitchens often portrayed in media. Externalizing these personal failures through art serves as a therapeutic mechanism, allowing for the transformation of anxiety into comedy. Katzenstein further connects this creative process to his experience with obsessive-compulsive disorder, demonstrating how identifying and parodying intrusive thoughts diminishes their power. Elizabeth McCracken’s *Seven Stories About Tammy* provides a parallel exploration of family dynamics, utilizing a sequence of interrelated short stories to reveal the emotional depth hidden within mundane encounters. This narrative structure effectively captures the complexities of long-term relationships and the shifting perceptions of family members over time.