Review #19 - Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic

Author: Alison Bechdel Rating: ★★★★

So to get it out of the way, this is the first time I have read an adult graphic novel. In fact, I can't even remember the last time I had read a comic book. No, it is not because I had an inhibition about those being entitled to just kids or nerds or of them to be of a particular genre, but it is more to do with the fact that most comic books (the ones I know of originating from Manga, DC and Marvel) were all in series, and I really didn't know if I could put up with it.

So, why did I choose to read this one? Because it was in no way a superhero, imaginary, fictional world to be in or detective stories like Tintin, funny stories like Supandi, etc. This is the true story of Alison Bechdel. It is a memoir, of her relationship with her father. That is what set this book apart for me.

Also, the fact that an adult graphic novel like this was lying in the young adult section in Om Bookshop in Phoenix Market City, Kurla, Mumbai. I really don't think this classifies for young adults.

Alison and her family seem to live in a perfect home. Her father can conjure up great beauties in the house from scraps, he is a bibliophile and into the classics, and everything seems great. Or maybe not. Behind every prefect family pretence lies the dark secrets that can be unnerving, to many. In this case, it was the fact that Alison's father was gay.

Without giving out much of the plot of Alison's life, this book is truly a marvel for me. The fact that someone could write their autobiography through a graphic novel, and that too some really painstaking memories, with a sort of dark humour to it, was fascinating for me. Reading about someone's life can be quite the task, as it isn't necessary that someone can write down their life in a very interesting manner, even if it was extremely colourful and happening in the first place. Let alone someone who I did not even know about till I picked up this book.

Alison could make a connect with the reader about her family's dysfunctional relations, the want of more intimacy and acceptance with her parents, the struggle of first experiences in life, the literary relationship between Alison and her father, how she could never bring herself to hate or despise the man because of a few events, etc. despite the fact that the reader might not have gone through any of the situations highlighted in this book. And that is not an easy thing to do in a 500 paged book. Let alone a 230 paged graphic novel with lesser words to paint the life that Alison led.

Which is why, I would say this is a must read for all, because this has the perfect mix of everything a reader would be looking for in an engaging and enlightening book.

#graphicnovels #comics #memoir #autobiography #sequentialart #nonfiction #LGBT