Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic – Alison Bechdel
Alison Bechdel’s seminal graphic memoir about coming out and family secrets has been banned in libraries because of its nudity and depictions of consensual sex, but it is an important deconstruction about the ripple effect of code-switching and life in the closet.
Ultimately, I was a little disappointed in this one, which is always a terrible thing to say when critiquing a memoir — especially one that’s full of tragedy — but it felt unfocused.
Balancing three core narratives — the author’s coming of age and coming out, her father’s suicide and, finally, mutual recognition of one another’s queerness — Bechdel never quite blended them together in a way that made “Fun Home” feel cohesive.
Post-read research has informed me that Bechdel said the intent was to make the structure a “labyrinth,” revisiting the same scenario multiple times as new information is revealed so the reader questions fact and fiction and whose perspective is reliable.
While an interesting connective thread since there was no closure regarding her father’s death and the circumstances that lead to it (accident or suicide), and because people will naturally replay scenarios in an effort to find the truth, it made parts of “Fun Home” feel like a decades long recursive therapy session.
I also found the numerous mentions to classic literature (Wilde, Joyce, Colette) and Greek mythology distracting. While it was organic — the Bechdels were a highly literary family — I, honestly, felt like an idiot for not fully grasping the parallels the author was trying to make in her narrative.
The strongest parts of the story are the author’s coming out vignettes and the art. I loved how she drew real photographs and incorporated handwritten letters, which gave this a deeply personal touch.
As a side note, my first exposure to this story was the stage musical, which was more heavily focused on Bechdel’s coming out and her relationship with her father. In other words, it was hyper focused. I carried those expectations into this read — and that’s on me — versus fully embracing this for what it is.
Even though this didn't "wow" me, I would encourage people to read it, especially because of the ongoing library bans. It’s relatively quick to get through and an important addition to the canon of modern queer classics.
Rating (story): 3/5 stars
Rating (narration): N/A
Format: eBook (library loan)
Dates read: July 2 – July 8, 2023
Multi-tasking: N/A
