 | | Blankets
Craig Thompson |
In hindsight, this probably shouldn't have been my first graphic novel. I should have started out with something a little less… great. But, as fate would have it, this touching story of first loves and finding ones self was indeed my first. Craig Thompson opened up his life for anyone who wants to read it. It's a story that is not only easily relatable to most people, but it will affect most readers after they finish it.
Born in a small Wisconsin town, Craig grew up in a religious home. But the tight rains of his family could not shelter him from his first love. His story is probably as old as the day is long, but the personal insight he brings is what makes this a truly enjoyable read.
No huge plot twists involved, it's just a simple boy meets girl story. But Thompson so beautifully captures those first few months of love, that you feel his emotion as you read. It reminded me a lot of when I met my wife. The infatuation, the excitement of those first "getting-to-know-you" conversations, the blind love for the other person. Steph and I used to keep a journal when we first met. We lived not 15 minutes away from each other at the time, but it was a way for us to be extra mushy on those nights we spent apart. We would trade it back and forth every so often… it was a great way to be constantly connected. Sure we look back at it as being a little hokey, but that's what those first days of love are like.
Craig's book made me want to relive that. That overly sensitive feeling of love. It's like your emotions are heightened. You feel more. And you feel along with Craig as the story goes. You feel him finding himself. Every kid goes through an awkward phase (and I'm not talking about puberty). That phase when you start to realize you are your own person. You are not your parents, but this is your life to live, love and make mistakes.
This is a beautiful story of everyday life. Nothing extraordinary happens, other than the every day gift of life. But it's when you live life as though it's a gift that you realize the beauty around you.
- Jake Haselman | 2004-06-26
