I Finally Dive into a Graphic Novel

My husband kindly takes many of my book recommendations, but pointed out last night that I don’t often take his. So today I sat down and plowed through Blankets, my first foray into graphic novels. It definitely did not turn me off of the genre, but this one wasn’t exactly my cup of tea. And in my husband’s defense, he read it a few years ago and only really remembered that there was a brotherly relationship in the book. I don’t necessarily think he would have recommended it to me if he’d remembered the rest.

The novel is about a young man who doesn’t really feel he belongs in his world. Which is usually of great interest to me, but in this case much of it was about his faith; specifically his place in a very Christian family and community. I am no longer a Christian, and have very little interest in reading Bible quotes in most instances, so having a book that was SO entwined with that imagery was a bit disappointing. I get why it was there – it was absolutely vital to the story – it just wasn’t a story I had much interest in reading in this telling.

The drawings are lovely, and the story flows pretty well. However, there are definitely areas that are hinted at but not fully fleshed out, so I was left kind of wondering what had happened. And some of the character drawings had me a little confused as to who was who. But overall I can see the appeal of the genre, and am certainly not opposed to reading other graphic novels.