Bechdel, A. (2006). Fun home: A family tragicomic. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
ISBN: 9780618477944 | hardback | 232 p. | $19.95 USD
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| Cover image courtesy of goodreads.com |
Annotation: This autobiography of Alison Bechdel, from birth to young adulthood in the 1960s and ‘70s, examines her relationship with her parents and the events that shaped herself and her family.
Book Review: Alison Bechdel’s memoir is set against the backdrop of
the family business—a funeral home the family calls “Fun Home.” While taking us back to her childhood days of
playing with funeral procession flags and chair trolleys, Bechdel focuses on
her issues with her father and coming to terms with being a lesbian. Her father, a high school English teacher who
moonlighted as the funeral home’s director, is described as eccentric,
unpredictable, angry, and distant from his children. As a child, Bechdel felt he loved renovating
their big, historic home more than his children. But reasons for this become clearer as the
book unfolds to reveal he was a closeted gay man who was having affairs with
male students. Bechdel’s knowledge of
this is unknown when she decides to tell her parents about her sexuality;
shortly after which her father dies of a possible suicide. When her mother reveals all, Bechdel is left
to consider who her father truly was and to understand herself with these new
truths.
This memoir, formatted as a graphic novel, examines the
father-daughter relationship. However,
it also touches on the realization that parents are human, capable of making
mistakes and having lives to themselves that may not revolve around their
children. This book is appealing because
it’s brutally honest without being judgmental.
Bechdel can at times be pessimistic, but she presents her feelings and
childhood objectively; letting readers come to conclusions on their own. Because of this, Fun Home would be a
valuable addition for young adult collections, with a skew toward older
teens. Harking back to Bechdel’s honesty, some of the pictures presented
are explicit, depicting the author in sexual acts. I would be careful of having the book out and
open while waiting in the doctor’s office like I did! If you enjoy Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, then check out her comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For.
Recommended for ages 16 and up.
My favorite thing(s)
about the book:
The format and author’s honesty.
The format and author’s honesty.
Favorite
character:
Alison
Alison
First sentence:
"Like many fathers, mine could occasionally be prevailed on for a spot of ‘Airplane.’”
Awards/Honors:
"Like many fathers, mine could occasionally be prevailed on for a spot of ‘Airplane.’”
Awards/Honors:
ALA Notable Books -
Nonfiction: 2007
Eisner Awards: Best
Reality-Based Work
Lambda Literary
Awards: Biography / Autobiography
New York Times
Notable Books - Nonfiction: 2006
Publishing Triangle
Award for Lesbian Nonfiction: 2007
Rainbow Lists - Young
Adult Nonfiction: 2008
Stonewall
Book Awards: Israel Fishman Nonfiction Award
Learn More:
Learn more about the author at her website or follow her blog.
Discover the writing and illustration process of Alison Bechdel.
