Retalhos

Craig Thompson tells the story of his childhood in a strict evangelical family in rural Wisconsin, sharing a bed with his younger brother Phil and facing bullying at school. His one refuge is drawing, and the church teaches him to see his art as vanity. At a winter church camp, he meets Raina, a girl who shares his feelings, and the book follows their first love and the long distance that follows. He then begins to question his faith. Thompson's black-and-white drawings, with swirling lines and snowy landscapes, make the emotional weight of adolescence visible.

It is a good read for lovers of graphic memoir and anyone who has had to leave a belief system. At about 600 pages, it rewards a slow reading.

Inward-looking and contemplative; an easy read.

Best for readers like The Empathetic Explorer. Which reader are you?