"Not everyone who is supposed to love you, will." Stella Pope Duarte said these words about a week before I read Fun Home, and it echoed on every page of Alison Bechdel's memoir.
This is, at its core, a story about growing up in a family that doesn't communicate. Bechdel's estrangement from her father and emerging sexuality could have set the stage for some honest, reflective storytelling.
It's too bad Bechdel doesn't do that.
The entire story is metaphor after metaphor of things her family is like, which makes the story seem like a clip show. I can tell you about ten characters that her father reminders her of, but I can't tell you who her father is. Don't get me wrong, I love descriptive language, but it feels too much like Bechdel is relying on other authors' great characterization to anchor her own story. Not to mention, she's assuming her readers are as familiar with the stories she's depending on as she is.
She acknowledges this herself, on page 67, when she says, "I employ these allusions because my parents are most real to me in fictional terms."
Sure, it's hard to describe people you don't know. But your own feelings--those are real. And I just didn't get enough of it to enjoy this book.
(Ironically, I think this book fails the Bechdel test.)
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