The Two Saddest Kitchens Finds Humor in Kitchen Chaos

Food is the one universal bond we all share. No matter who we are or where we come from, everyone eventually ends up in a kitchen, looking for something to eat. It is the literal lifeline of the home. The kitchen is often called the heart of the house, or at least it is supposed to be. Even when the counters look clean and composed, there is usually chaos hiding just out of sight, especially at the back of the refrigerator.

That quiet disorder is exactly what New Yorker cartoonists Roz Chast and Jason Adam Katzenstein tap into with The Two Saddest Kitchens. When the two admitted to each other that their own kitchens were far from polished showpieces, they realized they could not possibly be alone. Few people truly keep up with the ideal of spotless counters and perfectly stacked dishes, and almost everyone has left something soaking for far longer than planned.

In The Two Saddest Kitchens, Chast and Katzenstein blend their distinctive cartoon voices to examine what is really happening in our kitchens. They explore familiar scenes like Tupperware Drawer Tetris, the cabinet above the fridge where forgotten yard sale finds live out their final days, and the fancy utensils bought with good intentions that will never touch food. Each page delivers sharp humor and quiet insight as they reflect on the recipes that will never be followed, the aspirational versions of ourselves we imagine in the kitchen, and the reality we actually live with.

Anyone who has wandered into the kitchen hungry only to discover bananas too ripe even for banana bread and cheese well past its expiration date will feel immediately at home here. Chast and Katzenstein have already been there, and they turn that shared frustration into comedy and recognition.

Roz Chast is the author of Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?, a number one New York Times bestseller and National Book Award finalist, as well as I Must Be Dreaming, Going into Town, winner of the New York City Book Award, and many other acclaimed works. She lives in Connecticut and New York. Jason Adam Katzenstein is a cartoonist and comedy writer whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, and MAD Magazine. He is the author and illustrator of Everything Is an Emergency and lives in New York.

Together, their collaborations stand out for blending sharp wit with psychological depth. Their work often explores anxiety, memory, and surreal inner worlds, offering a humorous yet candid look at the complexities of modern life. Chast, in particular, is known for her insightful and sometimes poignant observations of everyday behavior, while Katzenstein brings a contemporary comedic edge. Their graphic narratives mix hand-drawn text, illustrations, and personal reflection to make complex emotions approachable and relatable.

Rather than a traditional memoir, the book is a graphic memoir, or what might best be described as a “comics conversation.” Think New Yorker–style cartoons laid out like a back-and-forth in the kitchen, where ideas simmer, jokes bubble up, and illustrations do most of the heavy lifting. The format keeps things light and snackable, even when the subject matter gets a little heavy.

Finally, the themes. This is not a glossy cookbook fantasy. Early descriptions suggest the book digs into the emotional leftovers we all associate with kitchens, from comfort and routine to disappointment and nostalgia. Cooking, home life, and memory are all tossed into the same bowl, resulting in something that is equal parts funny, tender, and quietly melancholic. Expect reflections on kitchen spaces as emotional landscapes, where hopes are half-baked, expectations sometimes burn, and memories linger long after the plates are cleared.

The Two Saddest Kitchens fits squarely into this tradition. It treats the kitchen not just as a room, but as a mirror of who we are, capturing the humor, disappointment, hope, and humanity tucked behind every fridge door.