by Dash Shaw
Publisher : Fantagraphics
Books; Illustrated edition (June 3, 2008)
Softcover, 720 pages
It’s
a 700 page book about pain, about the loss of love, about the uncertainties of
life, about the death of dreams, and the joy of kindling new relationships.
Dash Shaw has created a book which runs the gambit around all aspects of life
and encapsulated it into a six day vacation at the beach. Dysfunction breeds
dysfunction as we see parents have passed on terrible traits to their offspring
who are starting to pass those same evils onto their children. Some critics
have pointed out that this type of story has been done before - but then if
everyone happy in a family story, where’s the drama coming from? As Tolstoy
wrote, “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own
way.” -Just this in
Amazon and Goodreads.
After 40-some years of
marriage, two aged parents shock their children by stating they are getting
divorced. This sparks a weeklong stay at
their possibly haunted beach house, while the children grapple in their various
ways about this news. Rich with atmospheric sequences, the family stumbles
blindly around one another, often ignoring their surroundings and consumed by
their own daily conflicts.
The reasons for the
divorce are unclear. It’s hinted that it is at the instigation of the
grandmother who felt trapped in their marriage because of the children and now
can cut herself free, but is she doing so because she wants to, or because she
feels she should want to? Her actions demonstrate that she is nearly incapable
of dealing with the minor inconveniences of life, not to mention the big
decisions. The variations of responses by the children range from absolute
disbelief, to understanding, to indifference. Each character is unique and
together they create a kaleidoscope of volatility around an uncommon
occurrence.
For more readings, try books by Rex Hurst
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