THEORIES OF EVERYTHING: Selected, Collected, Health-INspected CARTOONS BY ROZ CHAST 1978-2006

Mix the neurosis of the young Woody Allen, the sublime-but-unexpected logic of comedian Steven Wright, the macabre wink of Gahan Wilson, the grand guignol of Charles Addams, the cleverness of the Far Side -- with just a dash of the heart-strings and plaintive cuteness of Cathy Guisewhite -- and you may have something like the outstandingly amusing cartoons of Roz Chast. Penned in a manner that suggests hands trembling constantly from too much coffee or perhaps too little electroshock therapy, there is a pervasive nervous energy in this work that, frankly, makes you want to stop looking at them after a while, in the same way that a strong vinaigrette forces you to pause between bites. You go back, of course, because it's delicious. But you can't take too much at one time. The targets of Ms. Chast's work include just about everything and everybody you will encounter in your life and it is very unlikely there is an interpersonal relationship you are suffering through that will not be present on these pages in a way that helps you laugh at your own small worries. She also nicely deals with the blither of modern life, from retail stores to the proliferation of award categories. Roz Chast's work is jittery and completely on-target. I recommend this book highly to those who like off-beat visual humor.