This graphic memoir is a biography of Bell’s life. The story begins when Bell’s mother loses her rural Northern California home in a fire. Bell goes to help her mother, with whom she has a complicated and guilty relationship. The search for a new home, the choice of a stove, the way to deal with neighbours and the attempt to have meaningful conversations. This is a story about the complex bonds between mother and daughter and the consequences it can have, especially on the daughter’s life. The drawings are intricate and speak for themselves, the texts are quite poignant and with a dark humour. A very interesting graphic novel, but a slightly painful subject for me.
“I wish I could rely on fans for everything. I wish a doctor would diagnose me just from reading my comics… You obviously suffer from a deficiency of vitamin Q. I am enclosing a bottle of 100 mg tablets, which should clear up your chronic despair, ennui and morbid self-indulgence.”
