This book has earned a very special place in my heart, because yes, this was the first graphic novel I ever read. My mother brought it home for me when I was still a teenager, and the whole “Graphic Novel” thing was just catching on in libraries and bookstores. It was (and still is) a fat, fat book. I’m sure I avoided it for awhile, but I remember opening it in my living room one summer afternoon and closing it that same day.
It’s definitely one of those turn-last-page-then-hug-book-to-chest-and-sigh kind of reads.
The plot is not terribly complex or involved. It’s a coming of age story. A memoir, actually. Craig grows up in a cold home, in a cold state. He finds a safe haven in God, and in drawing, but social success eludes him. Until a disappointing trip to church camp leads him to Raina, the girl who turns it all upside down.
Open this one if you’re in the mood for some love, some pain, some beautiful drawings.
