My Favorite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris
Reviewed by: Dave Gibbons, Library Volunteer
Genre: Graphic Novel, Horror
Suggested Age: Adults
What is the book about?: Monsters are the very personification of alienation and loneliness. They are the ultimate outsiders, which is why Karen Reyes relates to them so well. Navigating adolescence in the politically charged world of urban 1960’s Chicago, Karen finds solace in monsters; from late night b-movie frights to the demons she finds in paintings hanging in the Chicago institute of art. She even obsesses over her brother’s horror comics. The world of these monsters and the violent but real and very prejudiced world start to blend as she unravels the sordid details of her murdered neighbor Anka, a Holocaust survivor. Secrets come to the surface quickly: her mother’s terminal illness, her brother’s seemingly romantic lifestyle, her own emerging sexuality, school friends and enemies, all emerging like monsters in an increasingly surrealist world.
My Review: I didn’t pick up this book the first time I saw it, briefly flipping through it appeared to be just a bizarre sort of sketchbook. After hearing amazing reviews from people I trust, I decided I would give it a shot. I’m very glad I did. This book is a prime example of the medium that is graphic novels. Formatted as the diary of ten year old Karen Reyes, a girl who loves monsters, and even sees herself as one, the story is instantly immersive and intimately relatable. Reyes returns time and again to her love of monsters as she struggles to understand a world that makes very little sense. Not to be dismissed, the art style, using exclusively ball point and felt tip pens seems on the surface unassuming but quickly dispels that notion as Karen explains her favorite fine art paintings to the reader. The artistic style becomes increasingly complex, starting as something of a colorful juxtaposition with the gruesome and traumatic experiences that Karen is telling the reader about and evolving into an echo of the world Karen inhabits. It has allusions to everything from the low brow such as Jack Davis illustrated EC comics covers and Basil Wolverton’s grotesque mad magazine illustrations to fine art such as Henry Fuseli’s “the nightmare.”
Rather than explaining everything out right, readers have to “read between the lines,” much as the 10 year old narrator is forced to as adults rarely explain things that they think she is not ready for. While Karen isn’t naive about the situations she finds herself in, she does approach them from a place with adolescent priorities and resilience. With few exceptions the characters are not good or bad. Rather they react to, or are products of their environment much like the monsters that are an integral part of this story. Also like those very monsters, this story has an enthralling quality that left me wanting more.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Unique, Complex, Engaging
Give This a Try if You Like… Sculptor by Scott McCloud, The Building by Will Eisner, American Splendor by Harvey Pekar, Robert crumb et. al.
Rating: 5/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Art: 5/5
About FDL Reads
Welcome to FDL Reads, weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library. Librarians (and possibly some other guest reviewers) review all types of books, from children’s picture books, young adult favorites, to the latest adult thriller, and share their thoughts each week at fondulaclibrary.org. If the book is owned by Fondulac District Library (or another local library), you’ll see a direct link to the catalog entry and whether or not it is available. If it is checked out or at another local library, you will be able to place a hold as long as you have your library card and PIN numbers. As with any book review, these are our opinions…we disagree amongst ourselves about books frequently. We all have different likes and dislikes, which is what makes the world an interesting place. Please enjoy, and keep on reading!