“Excellent summary/review Acid 42! I'm re-reading this great book. Can't get enough of it. ”
“The autobiographic slice of life has fast become a staple of non-Manga graphic novels that don't associate with superpowered heroes and villains. So much so that when I read one now and the lead character's name isn't the same as the author's I double-take. Or triple-take, depending.That being said, Fun Home rests loftily upon the highest precipice of the mountain of the genre. The story is dense, richly interwoven, achingly remembered, well-staggered, and eloquent. Of seven chapters, the first seems to have so little to do with the front cover that I began to wonder if the right book was nested inside the dust-flap I was holding.The hard-cover nature of the piece also suggests a transcendence. This is no ordinary graphic novel. Alison pulls out hundred dollar words like the readers were as literate and academic as she, a kind of unassuming respect for the audience that's all too often missing from even most "real" works of fiction, let alone graphic novels. Another thing I found of note was the tirelessly dour and scrutinizing expressions on the faces of Alison's characters. Everyone in the story looks almost impossible to cheer up, and somehow, even devoid of a gothic, or film noir atmosphere (with apologies to Mr. Bechdel's interior design), it's endlessly compelling. Fans of graphic novels, mystery stories, autobiographies, what they call "literary" nowadays, gay/lesbian stories, and perhaps even comic strips will find something love and hold in their minds forever from this piece.My only criticism, picayune, is how the ending jackknifes into something really sweet and conclusive. I mean, there's nothing wrong with it technically. I just found the, to me, sudden shift in mood and intention jarring. Memorable and climaxing, like the Ear Booker Polka that comes at the end of any Weird Al medley, it ties it off nicely, but I don't know if it was appropriate. I don't know if it was perfectly set-up and pulled off.I should probably read the book again, with the ending in mind. I'd probably have a much different experience. Which is more than you can say for most books. ”
“I have loved Alison Bechdel's DTWOF for years and was truely blown away by her honest and very different writing in Fun Home. The story of coming to terms with her chaotic relationship with her late father is part mystery, part diary and part therapy session. Bechdel lets us in to her and her father's life with great compassion as well as anger and love. The illustrations seem even more alive to me because they are/were real people and I feel privileged to be let in to her and her father's lifes and secrets.”
