A Holocaust survivor struggles to let go of the past
Miriam Katin has the light hand of a master storyteller in this flowing,
expressive, full-color masterpiece. A Holocaust survivor and mother,
Katin's world is turned upside down by the news that her adult son is
moving to Berlin, a city she's villainized for the past forty years. As
she struggles to accept her son's decision, she visits the city twice,
first to see her son and then to attend a museum gala featuring her own
artwork. What she witnesses firsthand is a city coming to terms with its
traumatic past, much as Katin is herself. Letting It Go is a deft and
careful balance: wry, self-deprecating anecdotes counterpoint a serious
account of the myriad ways trauma inflects daily existence, both for
survivors and for their families.
Katin's first book, We Are On Our Own, was a memoir of her childhood,
detailing how she and her mother hid in the Hungarian countryside,
disguising themselves as a peasant woman and her illegitimate child in
order to escape the Nazis. The stunning story, along with Katin's
gorgeous pencil work, immediately garnered acclaim in the comics world
and beyond. With Letting It Go, Katin's storytelling and artistic
skills allow her to explore a voice and perspective like no other found
in the medium.
