Blankets

“I wanted a heaven. And I grew up striving for that world– an eternal world- that would wash away my temporary misery.”

This is an interesting graphic novel in the sense that it is autobiographical. It is the coming-of-age story of Craig Thompson. The novel depicts Craig's home life with his religious parents, brother, and first love Raina. The story focuses on the desolate conditions of Craig's life. Between his parents and school, Craig's life leaves much to be desired. Craig finds solace in Raina though and the two become extremely close. This story is not a happily ever after, instead it is the story of Craig's life and how he distances himself from his faith and his family.

I really liked how this novel unfolded. It began with Craig's childhood and sharing a bed with his brother. Then we when to summer camp and meeting Raina. The story was told with Craig as a teen with “flashbacks” to his childhood and other events in his life. I loved how Craig's childhood was woven into his teenage years and spending time with Raina.

For a graphic novel this novel has won a lot of awards, and it was also the first graphic novel I have read. And I'm not going to lie, the main reason I read this novel was because it is the Booksplosion Book of the Month for December. However, I'm glad I read it. From what I have gathered, this novel is very unique in the realm of graphic novels, it also happens to be quite long at over 600 pages.

The illustrations in this novel were completely black and white, but I think that fit the tone of the novel well. This novel is also definitely for more mature audiences between the content and the illustrations. However, I still really got a sense of the difficulty of Craig's life and what he had to overcome. This was a really fast read for me. I definitely will be picking up more graphic novels in the future.

I've never heard of Craig Thompson or any of his work before. When a copy of the very thick and very heavy “Blankets” landed on my desk by way of two friends, I thought it was a trade paperback of some obscure novel... until I cracked it open.

“Blankets” is Thompson's second graphic novel - an ambitious venture, judging by the length of the tome. It is also the winner of three 2004 Harvey Awards for Best Artist, Best Graphic Album of Original Work and Best Cartoonist; and winner of two 2004 Eisner Awards for Best Graphic Album and Best Writer/Artist.

The graphic novel follows the life of Craig, starting from key moments in his young life into his teens and later, his early adulthood. His early years are shared with his younger brother Phil, as two young boys who had creative ways of irritating and playing with each other while surviving school, parents and life in Wisconsin.

As a child, Craig has always been alienated by his peers.

“Something about being rejected at church camp feels so much more awful than being rejected at school.” he mused in a scene where he gets carted off to what he called a week of pretense of sharing “Christ-centered” recreational activities with other Christian youths.

Craig meets Raina at one of these church camps after he's hit the teens and his relationship with Phil takes a complete backseat in the narrative. The attraction is immediate and mutual, growing deeper after they return to their respective homes. Letters are followed by packages containing “sweet high school nothings”.

He decides to go and spend two weeks at with Raina and her family in Michigan, without mentioning to his own fundamentalist mother that Raina's good Christian parents are getting a divorce. His timing is a little awkward for her parents but was a balm for Raina, who has to struggle to care for her adopted siblings and unwanted niece.

Raina gives Craig a hand-made quilt, patched together from patterns that reminded her of him. This blanket became an underlaying theme, fusing together patterns that appeared through out the book.

The third and most consistant of Craig's relationship is the one with God. One of the things that drew him and Raina together is that they shared the same delimma with this whole God thing - they've been raised Christians but found causes to doubt. This also made a few funny pages featuring Craig when Raina said to him, “Come to bed with me.”

“Blankets” is semi-autobiographical tale where nothing terribly dramatic or superhero-like happens, but it doesn't take away the fact that it's still a very interesting read. It's almost like watching a movie.

The beauty of the comic medium is that things that will require a few paragraphs of description can be relayed in two panels. Thompson puts this to full use. A picture paints a thousand words.

Where words are required, he doesn't fall short. There are lines that are so beautiful and so true that it'll bring tears to your eyes. As both the writer and the artist of “Blankets”, Thompson had the advantage of writing or drawing exactly what he wants.

If you enjoyed the movie “Saved!”, you might want to keep an eye out for this book. While “Blankets” has a more subtle approach and is less satirical than that movie, it tells the same story about people who only want to be human.

(Note: This graphic novel is for mature readers. Small children and big babies need not apply.)

(2006)