Are You My Mother?: 05/04/15

Are You My Mother? by Alison Bechdel is the follow up to Fun Home, a book about growing up in a mortuary. This book is completely focused on the author's relationship (or lack there of) with her mother, and the authors extensive years of therapy.

So reading a book by the creator of the Bechdel test, the first question is, does it pass. Yes. It passes by dint of having no male characters in it. Is it an interesting book? No. Was it a catharsis for the author, probably.

What I've learned from slogging through this graphic novel is that the author had (or maybe has) a hard time letting go of painful memories. Her mother wasn't particularly maternal and her father was suffering from depression (but he's only mentioned in passing) and the author spent more time in therapy that in writing this book.

But there was no character growth. No plot. No humor. No rise and fall to the emotions. Just lots and lots and lots of therapy recreated in a graphic novel format.

If you have issues with your mother, then this memoir might be for you. If you are a rabid fan of the author's comics, this book might be for you. Everyone else can probably skip this one.

Two Stars

Comments (0)