About the book
Raoul and his grandfather are, in many respects, polar opposites. Grandpa Ep is a white, 90-year-old male who has never had to cook or clean; he has little faith in women drivers. Raoul is 35, mixed-race, prefers men, doesn’t have a driver’s license, and cries at Julia Roberts’ movies. But his grandpa is one of the people who gave Raoul the gift of life.
When Raoul visits his grandfather in his new room in a nursing home, grandpa Ep seems more confused and fragile than usual. So Raoul decides to talk with him now, when it’s still possible, to help come to terms with and preserve the stories of his grandfather’s generation. With the corona pandemic and international Black Lives Matter protests as a backdrop, grandpa and grandson discuss life, death and everything in between.
Based on essays Raoul wrote during his grandfather’s final year of life, Conversations with Grandpa is a warm universe full of life lessons, love, contented smiles and fairy tales, both large and small.