Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
By Alison Bechdel
By Alison Bechdel
Bibliographic Information: Bechdel, Alison. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2007. Print. ISBN: 978-0-618-47794-4; paperback; $5.58 on amazon.com.
Review: Fun Home is Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel memoir. She focuses on her father’s death, which was most likely a suicide, and tells her own coming of age story, which includes her coming out to her family right before her father’s death. Bechdel uses literary works by authors, such as Albert Camus, Oscar Wilde, and James Joyce, throughout the story. She draws parallels between her own life and the authors’ works very effectively. The memoir goes back and forth in time from Bechdel’s childhood, to her college life, and to her life after her father’s death. Even though the work is a tragic comic book, and overall takes on very serious universal themes such as sexuality and loss, Bechdel’s memoir is filled with tiny details that make it very personal and often very funny. For example, the title “Fun Home” comes from Bechdel’s family’s nickname for the funeral home where they spent their childhood. The most touching and depressing part of the story is Bechdel’s connection to her father and how they become inverts of each other. Overall, this was a very interesting read. Bechdel was able to make an incredibly personal story feel very familiar and personal to the reader.
I would recommend this work to college students and beyond. A lot of the subject matter is very adult; there is a lot about sexuality, masturbation, death, and overall the book is emotionally difficult to read. However, the main reason I believe this book is best for college students and beyond is because the literary characters and works that Bechdel uses are too advanced for high school students. For example, most high school students are not familiar with works such as Ulysses, and may not appreciate the connections Bechdel draws between her life and fictional works.
Review: Fun Home is Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel memoir. She focuses on her father’s death, which was most likely a suicide, and tells her own coming of age story, which includes her coming out to her family right before her father’s death. Bechdel uses literary works by authors, such as Albert Camus, Oscar Wilde, and James Joyce, throughout the story. She draws parallels between her own life and the authors’ works very effectively. The memoir goes back and forth in time from Bechdel’s childhood, to her college life, and to her life after her father’s death. Even though the work is a tragic comic book, and overall takes on very serious universal themes such as sexuality and loss, Bechdel’s memoir is filled with tiny details that make it very personal and often very funny. For example, the title “Fun Home” comes from Bechdel’s family’s nickname for the funeral home where they spent their childhood. The most touching and depressing part of the story is Bechdel’s connection to her father and how they become inverts of each other. Overall, this was a very interesting read. Bechdel was able to make an incredibly personal story feel very familiar and personal to the reader.
I would recommend this work to college students and beyond. A lot of the subject matter is very adult; there is a lot about sexuality, masturbation, death, and overall the book is emotionally difficult to read. However, the main reason I believe this book is best for college students and beyond is because the literary characters and works that Bechdel uses are too advanced for high school students. For example, most high school students are not familiar with works such as Ulysses, and may not appreciate the connections Bechdel draws between her life and fictional works.
Awards:
- 2006 Finalist: National Book Critics Circle Award
- 2007 Winner: GLAAD Media Award
- 2007 Winner: Stonewall Book Award
- 2007 Winner: Publishing triangle Judy Grahn Nonfiction Award
- 2007 Winner: Lambda Literary Award
- 2007 Winner: Eisner Award
This book is also listed on Time Magazine's Top 10 Graphic Novel Memoirs and
is #68 on Entertainment Weekly’s 100 Best Reads
from 1983 on. Also, Entertainment Weekly gave the book an A when they reviewed it in 2006.
The publisher's website includes information on Bechdel, an interview with her,and excerpts from the novel. Here is an example of the work:
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