Blankets

Summary:

Wrapped in the landscape of a blustery Wisconsin winter, “Blankets” explores the sibling rivalry of two brothers growing up in the isolated country, and the budding romance of two coming-of-age lovers. A tale of security and discovery, of playfulness and tragedy, of a fall from grace and the origins of faith.  (Summary and book cover courtesy of goodreads.com)

Review:

Artistically, I really enjoyed “Blankets”.  Thompson’s art is expressive and manages to incorporate a visual interpretation of childhood imagination extremely accurately.  The thing I enjoyed the most was his ability to tackle some very heavy topics, the main one being that he is no longer a Christian.  As the story goes, this book was the way he managed to tell his parents explicitly.  Thompson’s work is frank, genuine and honest.  There were many times through the story that specific events resonated with my own faith journey and personal questions.

All that being said, I wish I had seen more of the transformation period in Thompson’s faith.  The majority of the story is focused on his relationship with Raina.  I understand that both the stories are intertwined, but it was hard for me to discern if Thompson wanted to tell the conflicted love story, the religious transition or just reflect on his childhood.  As such, while enjoying the experience, on finishing the book I found myself vaguely disconcerted and not sure what he was trying to portray.

Warning: Discusses religion, coming of age and mild sexual content.

Rating: 3 stars!

Who should read it? Fans of memoir comics.  Folks looking for an traditional story won’t find it here.