(no subject)
Okay, book rec time.
The other day at work, I stumbled across Fun Home, by Alison Bechdel. It's Time Magazine's #1 book of the year, so I'd heard of it, but honestly my first reaction was, "A graphic novel/memoir about a butch lesbian whose father kills himself? Um no thanks." But I picked it up, read the first page, and proceeded to nearly get myself in trouble for reading behind the counter because I couldn't put it down. The book's subtitle, "A Family Tragicomic," is incredibly apt; Bechdel takes subject matter that includes suicide, homosexuality, pedophilia, and family dysfunction, and somehow she relates all of this in a dry, wry humor, enhanced by a particularly keen sense of irony. The innumerable literary allusions sucked me into the story and I loved the combination of complex, erudite language with the simplicity of the graphic novel format.
Seriously, read this book. You definitely don't have to be butch, and I certainly don't think you have to be gay or even female to find some point of congruence with Bechdel's story and to enjoy its impeccable presentation.
The other day at work, I stumbled across Fun Home, by Alison Bechdel. It's Time Magazine's #1 book of the year, so I'd heard of it, but honestly my first reaction was, "A graphic novel/memoir about a butch lesbian whose father kills himself? Um no thanks." But I picked it up, read the first page, and proceeded to nearly get myself in trouble for reading behind the counter because I couldn't put it down. The book's subtitle, "A Family Tragicomic," is incredibly apt; Bechdel takes subject matter that includes suicide, homosexuality, pedophilia, and family dysfunction, and somehow she relates all of this in a dry, wry humor, enhanced by a particularly keen sense of irony. The innumerable literary allusions sucked me into the story and I loved the combination of complex, erudite language with the simplicity of the graphic novel format.
Seriously, read this book. You definitely don't have to be butch, and I certainly don't think you have to be gay or even female to find some point of congruence with Bechdel's story and to enjoy its impeccable presentation.