Book Review: Epileptic 1

I probably should not call this a book review; it's really a quarter-of-a-book review. Turns out our library only has the first volume of David B's graphic novel Epileptic, but of course I didn't realize i was reading only the first volume until I came to the end and thought, "Huh. That's seems to be a quick ending."

Epileptic was recommended by a friend of a friend, who recently finished his dissertation on graphic novels. The story is David B's memoir of growing up in a family whose central focus is his older brother, an epileptic. Most of the first volume centers on the various "cures" that the family embarks upon, from psychics to macrobiotic communities. It is a chaotic, frightening childhood, and the art reflects the artist/author's confusion and yearning for a normal life. I really wanted to smack some sense into his selfish, irresponsible, childish parents. Perhaps the remaining volumes shed some light as to why they drag their children from one deranged situation into another.

I do intend to purchase the nearly 400-page graphic novel ultimately, as my 75-page version left things hanging. I'm really enjoying trying out different graphic novels, although thus far I did appreciate Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis much better.

Book Review: Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return

I reviewed Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis 1: The Story of a Childhood a couple of weeks ago; Persepolis 2 picks up immediately where the first book leaves off. Marjane is 14 when this novel begins, sent by her parents to live in Austria. Her life in Austria is one unfortunate event after another as she learns to navigate a secular society, where she is a foreigner. Although she is brilliant and does well in school, she eventually lives on the streets for a few months. She is physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausted by the time she finally reunited with her family back in Iran. For the first several months back in Iran, she is withdrawn and morose. She wants someone to understand how much she has suffered in Austria. Eventually, though, she realizes that her suffering was largely brought on by her own poor choices, while her fellow Iranians have suffered tragedy upon tragedy caused by war.

The book is fantastic. As I said in my review of the first book, I love the graphic format of the novel. My son has watched the movie Persepolis, which he says is a combination of both Persepolis books, following the books quite closely but leaving out lots of scenes. I think I'll skip the movie, however. The images in the book were powerful enough for me.