Excellent New Graphic Novel
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
by Alison Bechdel
I read this one a few weeks ago and it took some time to sort of sink in and digest. Not sure why, some books just are like that for me. But this was a really brilliant graphic novel/memoir that sticks with you so you find yourself still thinking about it a few weeks later. The author, Alison Bechdel, moves back and forth in time as she tells the tale of her childhood, her realization that she is gay, and following her coming out to her parents, the realization that her father is also gay. Shortly after, her father is killed when he is hit by a truck near a house he was working on (no, I’m not giving away the ending, this is revealed early in the book) but Alison is convinced that it was no accident but was in fact a suicide.
So obviously it’s not exactly light reading. In the end, it is a beautifully told, surprisingly literary graphic novel. In graphic novels, the author usually seems to rely on the artwork for the main impact and uses words sparingly. Bechdel, however, gives you impact anywhere and everywhere that she can squeeze it in. The text of the book is chock full of literary references and parallels with classic works such as Ulysses. It’s not heavy handed at all, though, it all flows right along with the story she is telling. And there are so many brilliant sub-stories along with it. Her father’s family operates a funeral home (which she and her brothers simply call the “fun home” hence the title) which by definition means there is good storytelling material there. Bechdel also tells the story of her obsessive compulsive disorder and how she slowly broke herself of her habits. She also is an archivist by nature, a journaler from her earliest days who saved every thing she ever wrote, along with every thing anyone in her family ever wrote to her. Clips of these text are included in the book and are recreated to appear as they must have originally.
This may seem like a lot to fit into one book but Bechdel moves easily from one story to the next, from the past to the present, from her life to her father’s life, from literary tales to modern reality. Her writing is in many ways reminiscent of that of another favorite author of mine, David Sedaris. I almost hesitate to say that because it invites the speculation, “what, because they’re both gay?” Well, yes that is true but that’s not what is so similar about the writing. It is because they both tell the stories of their lives without sparing any details. Because they unapologetically portray their families as both wonderful and flawed. Because they can move so quickly between the funniest moments and the darkest moments that it is at times startling.
The artwork is clean and distinct. It is done in black, white, and shades of tealish-blue. The drawings of the Victorian home she grew up in have beautiful detail that say as much about her own archival tendencies as they do about her father’s decorating habits. Bechdel’s choice to limit herself to three colors is interesting: it makes the look of the book distinctive and almost stark, but the many shades and hues of blue also give the drawings enormous depth.
All in all, a great read, a fascinating family story, a brilliant piece of art. I recommend it highly.
