The Fire Never Goes Out: a Memoir in Pictures by Noelle Stevenson
Noelle Stevenson is an artist and author known for her webcomic-turned-graphic novel Nimona and her comic book series Lumberjanes. This is her graphic memoir, a collection of yearly reflections starting from 2011 when she was 17-years old. In her signature drawing style, she depicts the triumphs and challenges of growing up and finding herself. She chronicles her struggles with mental health, heartbreak, finding love, and attempting to fill the void she often feels inside her. She also must grapple with her professional success – which can be both fulfilling and terrifying as there’s always the fear of burning out. Her success, especially at such a young age, is impressive and inspiring. I loved learning a little about her journey as an artist – from art school to LA.
While the storytelling is a bit disjointed and at times kind of cryptic and vague, I tried to keep in mind that this was an ongoing project that I believe had originally been published in yearly installments online. In my opinion, it doesn’t come together quite so well compiled into book form. And at points it feels like more of a resume of her work rather than a memoir. However, this is understandable since she’s accomplished so much in such a short period of time and her art is so much a part of who she is. So if you enjoy graphic memoirs, I’d definitely give this one a go, especially if you’ve read any of Noelle Stevenson’s other work. Rating: 3/5
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell and Markio Tamaki
In this YA graphic novel, we meet high school student Freddy (short for Frederica) who is in a toxic on-again-off-again relationship with the enigmatic and elusive Laura Dean. Laura Dean keeps breaking up with her and Freddy keeps going back! It’s both hilarious and frustrating to read about.
The story really captures the stress and anxiety that comes with toxic relationships and how they can really take over your life. It also touches on the difficulty of simply letting go and purging certain people from your life out of fear – fear of the finality of breaking up and fear of heartbreak. I love that the story shows the humor and absurdity of it all. Why do some of us keep going back to something that causes so much stress? Is it low self-esteem? Are we addicted to the challenge? Are we determined to get a better outcome? Freddy writes to an advice columnist, hoping for some magical solution, when the solution is to just move on already! (Even if it’s not that easy.) And just when Freddy thinks it’s really over, Laura Dean pops up. All she has to say is “hey” or “wanna come over?” for Freddy to drop everything for her. Remember: the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results…
The book also examines friendship and how we often neglect the important people in our lives when we’re totally immersed in our romantic relationships. I’d have liked to learn a little more about the people in Freddy’s friend group. The book also brushes over a couple of more difficult subject matters. One particularly serious subject felt extremely rushed, and it baffled me to be quite honest. Still, this was an enjoyable read – both emotional and funny. Rating: 4/5
Lost Soul, Be at Peace by Maggie Thrash
This graphic memoir takes place a year and half after Maggie Thrash’s time at summer camp where she encounters her first love, an experience she details in her haunting debut book Honor Girl. Maggie Thrash grew up in the South and lived in a large house with her mother and her father who was a federal judge.
One thing I found particularly interesting about this book is Maggie’s struggle to not only fit in but to establish her own sense of self. Maggie – who’s come out to her family as gay with little to no reaction from them – attends a school where her classmates vocalize their racist and prejudiced beliefs. She tries to stand up to them. She attempts to articulate why they’re wrong but can’t find the words. All in all, she doesn’t feel like she belongs there. Though she comes to realize that like her classmates, she is extremely privileged in this world, and if she needs money, she can simply ask for it from her father. It’s just interesting to watch her learn things about herself and her world, and to sort of come into her own.
This is a bleak memoir with bleak illustrations to match. The story centers on Maggie’s search for her missing cat Tommi and her sort of detached relationship with her family. More importantly, it’s a story about growing up, feeling different, and feeling depressed and unmotivated, but instead being seen as lazy and incompetent. Also, it’s a story about death – with frequent allusions to Hamlet and the Bible. Growing up, for her, means coming to terms with the fact that loss is inevitable.
Lost Soul, Be at Peace is haunting and poignant, and it’s a beautiful followup to Honor Girl. If you enjoyed Honor Girl, I’d recommend picking this one up. While the two books are quite different, they both offer an honest look into the author’s young adulthood. Rating: 4/5
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