Book Review: Blankets

Blankets tells the story of the author's, Craig Thompson, first love. However, it is not your typical romantic comedy. Thompson is very forthcoming as he explores his relationship with his brother and his battle with religion. His parents are abusive and oftentimes lock him and his brother in a cubby hole if they misbehave. They are born again Christians and try to push their faith on Thompson with limited success. While Thompson tries to adhere to his parents' rules, he finds that he cannot do so while also remaining true to himself. It is not until he meets Raina that he finds acceptance as she loves him for who he truly is.

Thompson clearly handles some difficult issues in this graphic novel but he does so without being preachy or oppressive. Instead, he begs to reader to ask themselves the same questions that he had to grapple with. Though this graphic novel is a bit hefty, it is not overwhelming. One of the issues with graphic novels is that they are either too short and leave the reader wanting more or they're so long and cumbersome that one can barely slug through. Neither of these are a problem for Thompson who reveals just enough to keep the reader intrigued and gain a fuller understanding of him without feeling as if this memoir is a "tell all". The artwork is beautiful and integrated perfectly into the story. I would even go as far as to recommend this to non-graphic novel readers.

-DLP