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73 pages 2 hours read

Alison Bechdel

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic

Nonfiction | Graphic Memoir | Adult | Published in 2006

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Before You Read

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Super Short Summary

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel is a graphic novel memoir that chronicles Bechdel's relationship with her late father, Bruce, exploring themes like queer sexuality, gender nonconformity, familial dysfunction, artifice, death, and self-exploration. Through a non-linear narrative comprised of comic panels and introspective text, Bechdel reflects on her youth, her discovery of her homosexuality, and Bruce's closeted queerness. The book includes descriptions of sex, masturbation, abuse, death, death by suicide, bias against queer people, and familial dysfunction.

Reviews & Readership

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Review Roundup

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel is widely praised for its insightful narrative, emotional depth, and exquisite artistry. Readers commend its honest exploration of family complexities and identity. However, some find its nonlinear storytelling challenging. Overall, it's celebrated as a pivotal work in both graphic memoir and LGBTQ literature.

Who should read this

Who Should Read Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic?

Readers of Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel will appreciate this book if they are drawn to graphic memoirs that explore complex family dynamics and personal identity. Fans of Maus by Art Spiegelman and Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, which similarly blend visual art with autobiographical narrative, will find this work compelling.

Book Details
Pages

232

Format

Graphic Memoir • Nonfiction

Setting

Pennsylvania • 1970s

Publication Year

2006

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

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