All Wrapped Up in “Blankets”

I just finished reading “Blankets” by Craig Thompson last night and I was blown away.  I have never in my life read a graphic novel that caused such an emotional response .  It is a tale about awkwardly growing up in a small farm town while struggling with real life problems that have lasting effects into adult hood. But more than that it is a tale of first love and the hopeful nature of youth .

 

I read the book from cover to cover in one sitting and felt myself sympathizing with Thompson on almost every panel. The story takes him from his youth spending time with an annoying younger brother and a religiously oppressive family all the way to his mid 20s .  It is very hard to describe how I feel about this book.  It brings out feelings of joy and nostalgia of remembering my first love and how at that point in my life everything seemed possible. It also brings out feelings of resentment at learning (Much as I did about Santa or the Easter Bunny) that life had other plans and things were not always meant to last, and some were just plain old “Not Real”.

The book also touches on the sore spot of youth that not everyone feels. The responsibility one feels for protecting siblings and the guilt you can feel realizing how you failed at that self appointed task.

I recommend this book highly and hope that anyone who reads it gets a response out of it like I did. “Blankets” forces me to look at my childhood from a different light than I ever have before. Go pick up a copy today and sit back for a good read that takes you to places you never thought a “comic book” could.