Fun Home

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel is a beautiful autobiographical graphic novel. Her strengths aren't just in prose or artwork, but the perfect marriage of both. It took Bechdel seven years to complete the piece due to her tedious and specific work flow (see video below), however, I believe it was well worth it. I literally can't wait to see what she creates next.

Alison tells her own story, giving great detail to everything from the Victorian funeral home her Dad spent more attention on than her, to the styles of clothing and the New York skyline from Greenwich Village during a family trip. I found the coming of age story to be almost haunting in it's style. While parts were funny, other parts were almost unbelievably awkward. Her references are mostly literary, it being one of the few ways for her to communicate about her (and his) homosexuality. Some readers may find the references elitist or unnecessary, but with basic knowledge of what she is referencing, (The Odyssey, James Joyce etc.) and a few trips to wikipedia and the dictionary for contextual information I found they added depth and intelligence to her narrative. Communicating to her father in this way (though books) was one of the few ways she was able to navigate her relationship with him in her adolescence and early twenties.

 Even though ultimately this book is a story of a gay woman's childhood and the way that impacted the relationship she had with her father and his death, I think that most readers will be able to relate to her family struggles in one way or another. I believe the way Bechdel took such care in crafting each element of the story really radiates through the whole piece, everything is there for a reason, everything has significance to her. The journey from confused child to adulthood and the realization that your parents may not be the model way to live your life is something everybody has to go through. I liked how she started on a good memory. Playing airplane with her Dad, she felt loved and uneasy and did for the rest of his life. But as she grew up she found confidence in who she was, something her father never found.

There was somewhat of a double narrative happening in the book. The dialogue was what was happening in the scene, as it was happening. But the narrative was from the perspective of her now, as an adult. This device really helped cement her perspective both past and present.