Blankets: An Illustrated Novel [B1736]

2003 french-flap PB in excellent condition. This groundbreaking graphic novel, winner of two Eisner and three Harvey Awards, is an eloquent portrait of adolescent yearning; first love (and first heartache); faith in crisis; and the process of moving beyond all of that. Beautifully rendered in pen and ink, Thompson has created a love story that lasts. "Quaint, meditative and sometimes dreamy, blankets will take you straight back to your first kiss."-The Guardian

Blankets is the story of a young man coming of age and finding the confidence to express his creative voice. Craig Thompson's poignant graphic memoir plays out against the backdrop of a Midwestern winterscape: finely-hewn linework draws together a portrait of small town life, a rigorously fundamentalist Christian childhood, and a lonely, emotionally mixed-up adolescence. Under an engulfing blanket of snow, Craig and Raina fall in love at winter church camp, revealing to one another their struggles with faith and their dreams of escape. Over time though, their personal demons resurface and their relationship falls apart. It's a universal story, and Thompson's vibrant brushstrokes and unique page designs make the familiar heartbreaking all over again.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "Reflective and meaningful. Captures the challenge of faith, young adulthood, family tensions, et. In beautiful ways. Trigger warning that there are references to sexual abuse."; "Far beyond five stars. Beyond my life. After reading this book, I saw the place I've wanted to be for many years, the person I am. It will hold a special place for me. This is my note to history."; "One of the best graphic novels I've read."; "Beautiful illustrations for a sad and familiar story of growing up, finding love, and moving on."; "One of those books that picks a particular time and place in someone's life and fills it in with so many life-like details. It's a feelings over thoughts kind of read. Where just experiencing something as it happened is enough. Blankets was vulnerable, raw, head-in-the-clouds, and totally real."