RaveReadings (AUS)Bechdel must be the graphic novelist with the richest density of ideas-per-square- inch ... Bechdel writes about her life with the same deep honesty and disarming humour as ever. She speaks frankly of the uses and challenges of exercise, of her struggles with relationships and mental health, and of her ongoing fascination with Buddhist teachings ... The art itself is a delight: from the dry self-deprecation in an eye roll shared directly with the reader, to the exuberant Where’s Wally detail of a crowd scene. Passages covering more revelatory or spiritual moments are rendered in sparse and beautiful brush lines inspired by Zen ink paintings ... If you’ve laughed and wept through her earlier memoirs you’ll relish revisiting Bechdel’s life from this new angle, which contextualises her previous books and delves into the emotional struggle of creating them. If you are yet to experience one of Bechdel’s enrapturing books, you’ll be richly rewarded for starting with this one.
