ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Forbes - Lit Hub - Electric
Lit
A gorgeous graphic memoir about loss, love, and confronting grief
When Kristen Radtke was in college, the sudden death of a beloved uncle
and the sight of an abandoned mining town after his funeral marked the
beginning moments of a lifelong fascination with ruins and with people
and places left behind. Over time, this fascination deepened until it
triggered a journey around the world in search of ruined places. Now, in
this genre-smashing graphic memoir, she leads us through deserted cities
in the American Midwest, an Icelandic town buried in volcanic ash,
islands in the Philippines, New York City, and the delicate passageways
of the human heart. Along the way, we learn about her family and a rare
genetic heart disease that has been passed down through generations, and
revisit tragic events in America's past.
A narrative that is at once narrative and factual, historical and
personal, Radtke's stunning illustrations and piercing text never shy
away from the big questions: Why are we here, and what will we leave
behind?
(With black-and-white illustrations throughout; part of the Pantheon
Graphic Novel series)