Abstract: The novel On n’est pas là pour disparaître by Olivia Rosenthal carries out an autopsy on defunct family memories, dissolved by Alzheimer’s. This disease modifies familial structures and defamiliarises not only the sufferer but also those around him or her. This cruel and disturbing defamiliarisation shakes the foundations of the family unit as well as the very framework of language. Olivia Rosenthal casts an uncompromising eye on the contemporary family and its gaping holes.
