Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic is the author’s autobiography that covers her fraught relationship with her father as she discovers she’s a lesbian and her father is gay.
What attracted me to this autobiography was that it’s told in graphic novel form. The illustrations were engaging and had purpose. I especially enjoyed the recreations of her journal and her father’s letters. It added a personal touch that I found enhanced my understanding and connection to the characters.
Fun Home is very much rooted in English literature (seeing as her father was an English teacher). If you haven’t read anything by Fitzgerald or Joyce you may feel lost or as if you’re sitting in an English course. I’ve only read The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald and nothing by Joyce so I felt lost in the metaphors and comparisons the author was making, which ultimately lessened my enjoyment.
Overall, Fun Home was interesting autobiography that made me think about my own relationship with my father. If you’re looking for something engaging and out of your comfort zone, Fun Home is for you.
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