Kathleen Watt, Rearranged: An Opera Singer’s Facial Cancer and Life Transposed
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21827/ejlw.14.42807Keywords:
book reviewAbstract
In her memoir Kathleen Watt narrates her decade-long confrontation with facial cancer (osteosarcoma) of the upper jaw and the extensive reconstructive surgeries that ensued. Watt frames her illness within the broader politics of appearance and identity. Central to her narrative is the face as a site of selfhood, recognition, and ethical encounter, reflecting Levinas’s philosophy. She resists reductive illness tropes by emphasizing existential transformation, visibility, and relational vulnerability. Her memoir provides scholars with valuable insights into embodiment, narrative identity, and the interpretive work of illness narratives.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Maria I. Medved
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