October Graphic Novel Celebration

It's been a few years since I became slightly obsessed with graphic novels and art novels, and when Franki Sibberson announced the plan for a graphic novel celebration on the The Nerdy Book Club blog, I went right to the bookshelf to decide which book to share. The format for this celebration is outlined here, and I'm joining the party a week late, so there were posts and tweets last week. I hope you'll all enjoy this month-long ode to the graphic novel, and maybe participate too. For me, it'll be a chance to learn about new books and fill the gongoozler book love files. I've picked Stitches for my first post. And so off we go...

Stitches: A Memoir 

by David Small

readership: mature middle grade readers through adult

Stitches is the first graphic novel I read cover to cover, entranced, enthralled. It’s an incredibly paced memoir depicting author/illustrator David Small’s mid-century childhood experience. Being time period specific doesn’t hold this novel back, though, and it’s truly an every-kid-any-year story with deeply relatable coming of age themes.

From the start, Small puts the reader in his city, his house, his body, and immediately, the reader senses the disjointed relationships in David’s family. Because the emotional bankruptcy is palpable, we connect deeply with David and understand the dark gaps of miscommunication that exist between him and his brother and his parents. For David, his language becomes illness, and when his doctor-father responds, he speaks with medical treatment. One treatment, x-ray, actually damages David's thyroid, and after two surgeries, David also loses a vocal cord, rendering him somewhat speechless.

As the next few years unfold, David has a rough go of it. He feels mistreated, invisible, but as he allows a therapist to hear his story and see his art, he begins patching emotional wounds. In contrast, his parents—and their secrets—are unraveling. Soon, his determination not to inherit their habits of silence and miscommunication push David to leave home. He’s sixteen and fends for himself, finding an apartment, finishing school, and exploring art seriously. In the end, he becomes his own hero and works to understand his family’s shadowy side. And though it’s not overtly written or illustrated in the novel, David’s ultimate success is clear. He excels at beautiful communication, evidenced in his work with children’s books and Stitches.

To learn more about the writing and art of David Small, visit his website. His second graphic novel is now in progress. Can't wait.