Alison Bechdel's Fun Home is a great memoir. It is so good that I can't help but compare it to two other great graphic novel autobiographies: David B.'s Epileptic and Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis. Like Epileptic, Fun Home focuses not only on the author but also on her relationship to other members of her family. In this case, Bechdel spends large portions of the book exploring her complex relationship with her father. And like Persepolis, Fun Home connects with the historical events of the period in which it's set.
I think Bechdel is a talented artist. Her style is cartoonish, but very detailed. Her lines are very clean and she makes good use of the sparse palette. There isn't any sketchiness to her lines; everything is clean and crisp. That said, I'll admit that her artwork isn't really my cup of tea. However, it does service the story well, and it would be hard to imagine the book reading as well without the pictures.
You should read this book. It takes a while to build up, but like a sweet, ripe summer melon it's totally worth it once you work your way to the center.
.. editlink:: /feeds/7759675509232464806/posts/default/6776266602944672719 Fun Home ======== .. labels:: comics, review, autobiography Alison Bechdel's *Fun Home* is a great memoir. It is so good that I can't help but compare it to two other great graphic novel autobiographies: David B.'s *Epileptic* and Marjane Satrapi's *Persepolis*. Like *Epileptic*, *Fun Home* focuses not only on the author but also on her relationship to other members of her family. In this case, Bechdel spends large portions of the book exploring her complex relationship with her father. And like *Persepolis*, *Fun Home* connects with the historical events of the period in which it's set. I think Bechdel is a talented artist. Her style is cartoonish, but very detailed. Her lines are very clean and she makes good use of the sparse palette. There isn't any sketchiness to her lines; everything is clean and crisp. That said, I'll admit that her artwork isn't really my cup of tea. However, it does service the story well, and it would be hard to imagine the book reading as well without the pictures. You should read this book. It takes a while to build up, but like a sweet, ripe summer melon it's totally worth it once you work your way to the center. .. _Epileptic: http://www.amazon.com/Epileptic-David-B/dp/0375714685 .. _Persepolis: http://www.amazon.com/Persepolis-Story-Childhood-Marjane-Satrapi/dp/037571457X .. _Fun Home: http://www.amazon.com/Fun-Home-Tragicomic-Alison-Bechdel/dp/0618871713
