The Nature of Things

Well, that was something completely different. I don't usually read graphic novels. I'm a word person and I prefer stories told with words rather than illustrations. But this one was recommended to me for its humor and in the interest of broadening my reading horizons, I decided to give it a try.  I don't really know how typical this is of graphic novels. The drawings have an unfinished look about them and they leave a lot to the imagination. They illustrate anecdotes from the author's life, so this is in a sense a graphic memoir. That makes it a twofer for me: I don't usually read memoirs and I don't usually read graphic novels, so I'm breaking into whole new territory here. The book comprises a series of essays relating the author's anecdotes. These start when she is three years old. She tells us that she became obsessed with her next-door neighbor, a middle-aged man, and she essentially began stalking him. Yes, I know. A three-year-old stalker boggles...