Voice and Tone

An Informal Approach
Sarah Leavitt uses an informal tone in her memoir “Tangles”. Her writing is almost comic book like the way she goes abruptly from one paragraph to the next, rather than having flowing sentences. This approach allows the reader to feel more connected when reading because it feels as though you are reading the journal of a friend or family the way she writes, for example, “I was often embarrassed by her zeal. She called my school in a rage after they used blackface in a play, lectured a waitress who used the term “Jewish lightning,” and forbade me from having a friend over for dinner after I made the mistake of telling her that Oliver North was his hero.” In this excerpt you can see how she has a very informal approach to her writing.

Fun and Amusing
A common tone in Sarah’s writing is how she tries to incorporate fun and humor in her memoir. She often describes her family’s antics in a happy cheerful manner which helps to diffuse the seriousness of how Alzheimer’s had affected her family, “We were listening to Bob Marley, but I can’t remember which song, Probably One Foundation or Positive Vibration. Did he say constipation? Oh, excuse me!”. This way her writing does not have to be completely serious and sullen with regard to her subject matter.