Blankets

"Blankets" by Craig Thompson was the book that I needed to read at this moment in my life.

I was aimlessly wandering through Paste magazine's website, not looking for anything in particular, just something to occupy my mind. I stumbled upon "The Best Books of the Decade" list, and, seeing as how I love best of lists, I jumped on it. I didn't know most of the books, and the ones I did know I hadn't read, save "The Road," which was SPOILER number 2. I don't appreciate McCarthy's style of writing. It seems starch and unapproachable. I know he's supposed to be a talented and visionary author, but I just don't see it. Anyway, the list had titles that piqued my interest. First was "Middlesex," written by the author of "The Virgin Suicides." I wanted to read it because (here comes the logic) I liked the movie "The Virgin Suicides," and I assumed that a book by the same author would be good. We'll have to see.

The book that looked most interesting was "Blankets." The sparse description of it on the list informed me that it was A) a bildungsroman (my absolute favorite type of story) and B) a graphic novel. I had never read a graphic novel before, and I assumed it would be an easy read, like the comics. So later that day I made a trip down to the Abilene Public Library, picked up the titles (along with some movies. Come on, free movies? I'm not passin' that up), and went to find a place to read.

I ended up in the downstairs of the ACU library, in a secluded spot behind rows of shelves, a place where I can cease to exist to the rest of the world for a while and just read. I cracked open the book and before I knew it, I had read 50 pages. Graphic novels are easy to read.

I found that I saw my problems in the problems of the main character, Craig. While I don't share the experience of being bullied at school and church like he was, we both have overbearingly religious parents, both experience the same problems with religion, and both have loved and lost. It's strange how much of his experience in love was exactly like mine. I mean, come on--the girl he loved was named Raina!

Anyway, it felt so good to read a story about someone who went through what I am going through, to see the pain I feel in someone else's eyes. And, most importantly, to see how he survives, how he moves on. That was probably the most rewarding part of the book. To see what he does that helps him cope. He loved her so much, and yet found a way to handle the bombarding repetition of those feelings and live, painfully at first. That's important--it didn't end all at once. He had to go through thinking about her, yet knowing that he can't be with her. And finally, finally, he let's go.

"How satisfying it is to leave a mark on a blank surface. To make a map of my movement--no matter how temporary."

Years from now, if I want to remember how I felt today, I'll read this book again.