Review of Ghost World
Ghost World by Dan Clowes
Seventeen and coming clean for the first time.
I finally figured out myself for the first time.
I found out what it takes to be a man.
Mom and Dad will never understand
What's happening to me.
Coming Clean by Green Day
First serialised in the early 90's and eventually published in graphic novel format in 1997, Dan Clowes' Ghost World is widely regarded as an understated cult classic of the graphic novel genre. Like J.D. Salinger before him, Clowes takes a brutal, yet tender snapshot of that terrifying, febrile moment when teenagers teeter on the crest of the rising wave of adolescence, just before they crash down into the bottomless unknown of adulthood. As with The Catcher in the Rye, Ghost World's success lies in its unyielding honesty when depicting the nihilistic ennui of teenage angst, but that very candour potentially removes any vestiges of enjoyment on the part of the reader when faced with this all too familiar wasteland.
Enid Coleslaw and Rebecca Doppelmeyer are recent high school graduates who wander the streets of their un-named American town, commenting on the people they see and the society they live in. Past tragedies are hinted at but never dwelt upon (a funeral, the separation of Enid's parents) which have obviously helped to form a close bond between these two young women, but their friendship struggles to survive as they develop into their new selves and start to drift apart. Feeling like outsiders or ghosts in their own back yard, they play with their appearance, flirt with the unknown and slowly begin to question every aspect of themselves and their relationship.
The unflattering, almost grotesque illustrations show how monstrous and unwelcoming the girls feel the world around them to be, while the flat acid green colours reinforce the unpleasant, washed out feelings inside them. Their dialogue is almost entirely in seemingly banal American slang, but always serves a purpose. As they play with words they discover the potential to shape themselves and the new responsibilities this brings. Childish games come back to haunt them, and words have the power to cause great pain. Enid wants to re-imagine herself into someone else entirely, but is afraid that Rebecca will always remind her of who she used to be.
As a young woman I read The Catcher in the Rye, and was utterly convinced that I was the only person in the history of everything ever who had really properly understood it. This was my book, it was speaking to me, and it showed exactly how I was feeling. Perhaps if I had read Ghost World ten years ago, I would have felt exactly the same way. It occupies the same literary space where nothing really happens, but everything happens at the same time. Now I just feel like telling Rebecca to get a job, telling Enid to have more respect for herself and for God's sake get rid of that stupid haircut. I don't understand it any more - it wasn't speaking to me. I felt scared and sad reading this book, because it perfectly captures a moment from my very own past that I will simply never be able to access again. I'm not fond of that time; I hated it, and you bet I was glad to get out. However, I feel a slight sense of grief to realise that I'll never be able to listen to Dookie ever again, because it's now for someone else.
Seventeen and coming clean for the first time.
I finally figured out myself for the first time.
I found out what it takes to be a man.
Mom and Dad will never understand
What's happening to me.
Coming Clean by Green Day
First serialised in the early 90's and eventually published in graphic novel format in 1997, Dan Clowes' Ghost World is widely regarded as an understated cult classic of the graphic novel genre. Like J.D. Salinger before him, Clowes takes a brutal, yet tender snapshot of that terrifying, febrile moment when teenagers teeter on the crest of the rising wave of adolescence, just before they crash down into the bottomless unknown of adulthood. As with The Catcher in the Rye, Ghost World's success lies in its unyielding honesty when depicting the nihilistic ennui of teenage angst, but that very candour potentially removes any vestiges of enjoyment on the part of the reader when faced with this all too familiar wasteland.
Enid Coleslaw and Rebecca Doppelmeyer are recent high school graduates who wander the streets of their un-named American town, commenting on the people they see and the society they live in. Past tragedies are hinted at but never dwelt upon (a funeral, the separation of Enid's parents) which have obviously helped to form a close bond between these two young women, but their friendship struggles to survive as they develop into their new selves and start to drift apart. Feeling like outsiders or ghosts in their own back yard, they play with their appearance, flirt with the unknown and slowly begin to question every aspect of themselves and their relationship.
The unflattering, almost grotesque illustrations show how monstrous and unwelcoming the girls feel the world around them to be, while the flat acid green colours reinforce the unpleasant, washed out feelings inside them. Their dialogue is almost entirely in seemingly banal American slang, but always serves a purpose. As they play with words they discover the potential to shape themselves and the new responsibilities this brings. Childish games come back to haunt them, and words have the power to cause great pain. Enid wants to re-imagine herself into someone else entirely, but is afraid that Rebecca will always remind her of who she used to be.
As a young woman I read The Catcher in the Rye, and was utterly convinced that I was the only person in the history of everything ever who had really properly understood it. This was my book, it was speaking to me, and it showed exactly how I was feeling. Perhaps if I had read Ghost World ten years ago, I would have felt exactly the same way. It occupies the same literary space where nothing really happens, but everything happens at the same time. Now I just feel like telling Rebecca to get a job, telling Enid to have more respect for herself and for God's sake get rid of that stupid haircut. I don't understand it any more - it wasn't speaking to me. I felt scared and sad reading this book, because it perfectly captures a moment from my very own past that I will simply never be able to access again. I'm not fond of that time; I hated it, and you bet I was glad to get out. However, I feel a slight sense of grief to realise that I'll never be able to listen to Dookie ever again, because it's now for someone else.