A memoir, told through illustrations and text, of one family's journey through mental illness, dementia, caregiving, and the health care system.

Olivier Martini and his mother, Catherine, have lived together since he was diagnosed with schizophrenia thirty-six years ago. It hasn't always been a perfect living situation, but it's worked — Catherine has been able to help Olivier through the ups and downs of living with a mental illness, and Olivier has been able to care for his aging mother as her mobility becomes limited, and Olivier's brothers Clem and Nic have been able to provide support to both as well. But then Olivier experiences a health crisis at the exact same time that his mother starts slipping into dementia.

The Martini family's lifelong struggle with mental illness is suddenly complicated immeasurably as they begin to navigate the convoluted world of assisted living and long-term care. With anger, dry humour, and hope, The Unravelling tells the story of one family's journey with mental illness, dementia, and caregiving, through a poignant graphic narrative from Olivier accompanied by text from his brother, award-winning playwright and novelist Clem Martini.

Clem Martini is an award-winning playwright, novelist, and screenwriter with over thirty plays and nine books of fiction and non-fiction to his credit, including Bitter Medicine: A Graphic Memoir of Mental Illness, winner of the Calgary Book Award, and his most recent anthology of plays, Martini with a Twist. He has served on the boards of numerous writing organizations including the Alberta Playwrights Network, the Playwrights Guild of Canada, and the Canadian Creative Writers and Writing Programs. His texts on playwriting, The Blunt Playwright and The Greek Playwright, are used in universities and colleges across the country. He is currently a professor in the School of Creative and Performing Arts at the University of Calgary.

Clem Martini's profile page

Olivier Martin’s sketches, paintings, and prints have been displayed at the Marion McGrath Gallery and Studio Three Gallery, published in Alberta Views magazine, and were included as part of the Canadian Mental Health’s Copernicus Project. His first book, Bitter Medicine: A Graphic Memoir of Mental Illness, a collaboration with his brother Clem, won the City of Calgary W.O. Mitchell Book Prize.

Olivier Martini's profile page

• Short-listed, City of Calgary W.O. Mitchell Book Prize
• Short-listed, Alberta Trade Non-Fiction Book of the Year

Praise for Bitter Medicine: A Graphic Memoir of Mental Illness

"[A] poignant, heart-wrenching and at times infuriating story about the Martini family's 30-year battles with schizophrenia and the mental health-care system." - Calgary Herald

"Much is lost because of mental illness. With books like Bitter Medicine, much is gained." - The Coast

"The inclusion of Olivier's drawings offers an illuminating presence often missing from mental health discussions. They make Olivier's story heartbreakingly real, lending credence to Clem's shattering facts about mental health. The format also makes light reading of heavy issues, and imparts a page-turning interest to deliver the importance of them." - Telegraph-Journal

Praise for Bitter Medicine: A Graphic Memoir of Mental Illness

"[A] poignant, heart-wrenching and at times infuriating story about the Martini family's 30-year battles with schizophrenia and the mental health-care system." — Calgary Herald

"Much is lost because of mental illness. With books like Bitter Medicine, much is gained." — The Coast

"The inclusion of Olivier's drawings offers an illuminating presence often missing from mental health discussions. They make Olivier's story heartbreakingly real, lending credence to Clem's shattering facts about mental health. The format also makes light reading of heavy issues, and imparts a page-turning interest to deliver the importance of them." — Telegraph-Journal