Darin Jensen
I had never read any graphic prose before and when I got the
books for this class I have to admit that they didn’t look very
serious—especially those with vivid colors like The Imposter’s Daughter. I read Darkroom
first because it is the one I was most drawn to and then I turned to The Imposter’s Daughter. I was
immediately taken aback by the use of the carrot to insert the word “true” into
the subtitle—as if memoir as a genre is not necessarily true. Sandell somehow
felt the need to inform the reader that this memoir, unlike so many others (?),
is TRUE. Of course a lot in any memoir needs to be constructed from bits of memory
or pieced together from research, and memoir is inherently loaded with dialogue
and description that is not precise but is a representation of what happened. I
set aside my discomfort with the subtitle and plunged in. I did return to the
cover when I discovered in Sandell’s story that she was an interviewer and
editor. Her job was to retell people’s stories as she heard them—to tell the
truth. If she felt the need to qualify her memoir as true, does this mean that
even the stories of other people that she wrote or edited she knew not to be
true?
The body. I am grateful that we will be reading several
books in this genre because I think it takes reading training to find a flow
for this kind of work. The short text blocks read as micro-paragraphs and feel
jilting and dissonant. I trust that I will learn to read graphic prose and it
will become easier.
The conclusion. It was sooo short. I was literally shocked
upright (I mostly read in bed) and starting looking for what I had missed. It
seemed so abrupt and easily wrapped up but with no finality. Yes, getting sober
and seeing life with new eyes to move forward “finishes” what was before and
coming to the conclusion that your Dad is never going to be available to you
again (even the good things about him) is “final”—but it seemed like their was
no reconciliation in her own mind about the past. Rereading the last chapter
(which I studied but still only spent 7 minutes with) did give me clues of an
ending—but only because I was then looking for an ending. I felt left hanging
about her relationship with Ben.
I think I have not touched on the topics for this lesson
(per the syllabus).
Craft: I appreciate the short versions or chaptering. They
signal a shift in direction or theme. I think they are necessary because the short
blocks of text need to be compartmentalized to avoid a rambling text. The
primitive art is great—a relief. It helped me believe that Sandell doesn’t
(hopefully) take herself too seriously.
Content: If Coming of Age means throwing your dad under a
bus, I suppose Sandell is grown up. I think Sandell could have given a more balanced
picture of her dad, delved into what might have made him become the liar he
was. Hard to do when he shut her down and is a proven liar, but she didn’t give
much of his backstory for context. Not because I’m a dad but because I’m a son,
I found this book disappointing.
Darin, I'm glad I'm not the only one who found this book a tad disappointing! It's not that I didn't try--I really did try to like it.
ReplyDelete"I think Sandell could have given a more balanced picture of her dad, delved into what might have made him become the liar he was. Hard to do when he shut her down and is a proven liar, but she didn’t give much of his backstory for context. Not because I’m a dad but because I’m a son, I found this book disappointing."
I really agree with you here. I thought her father was fascinating, and during the chapter in Buenos Aires, I slowly saw her father as a complicated character. But then in the recovery chapter, he turned back into a caricature and I wished that she developed her father figure more. Maybe I would've believe in her anger over her father's lies more if that was the case.
Thanks for a great blog post, Darin!
It's interesting we both were magnetized to the word "true" in the subtitle. More fascinating is how many different ways there are to interpret someone's work, all of which may not be the way the artist intended. I appreciate any opportunity to misinterpret a text, but it seems like with her clear images and linear circularities, Sandell might be surprised at that outcome. -Sailor
ReplyDeleteOn the one hand, I would have appreciated a more nuanced portrayal of Sandell's father. At times, he seems reduced to an "angry dad," a loaded description onto which viewers can easily project problematic archetypes as well as personal conflict. On the other hand, because he can so easily become the recipient of imperialism-influenced pop psychoanalysis (re: Peronismo/dictatorship/patriarchy = direct correlation to compulsively lying, violent father figure), I think that it's significant that Sandell chooses to delve only so far into his past (outside of his stories). For example, readers see very little of her visit to Argentina, but she makes sure to emphasize privilege/class by naming the neighborhood (which has connotations of opulence and wealth); she even explicitly notes those connotations for readers unfamiliar with them. In other words, she may try to counteract readers' equivocation of tropes about "non-U.S.-born dads" (or specifically, Latin American-born dads) and her dad, paradoxically providing him some privacy from such non-specificity through a screen of non-specificity (avoiding trite assumptions about "why he is who he is").
ReplyDeleteNice work everyone, Jenny, i particularly appreciate the reductionist perspective that you glean and we will look at these books in general to see if they, by their very nature, are folded and condensed. I wonder about the call for more nuanced dad. It's confusing to me that you want the narrator to present something she has no possession of for some kind of satisfaction of plot. The struggle between the known and unknown are part of what memoirs exhibit
ReplyDeleteDarin, back to you, where this originated. Congrats on stirring up the discussion-- you bring up so many points about what this book does but also understand, you have to let the genre inform you how to read it...kind of like poetry
e
Thank you, Elmaz. Letting the genre inform me how to read it is exactly why a whole class is needed. Because I have never read graphic novels or memoirs, I need to learn by doing.
Deletei felt similarly unresolved after reading this. i felt like the last bit of the book, starting with family week at rehab, was a mad rush. though, like you said, things were kinda "wrapped up" or seemingly "final," they didn't necessarily feel resolved or conclusive. the ending kinda was like "i went through all of this, did all this research on my father and others, had these extreme life experiences, all to chronicle it in this book." i know that's overly simplistic, but i felt like i didn't know much about how she grew. sure, she realized she can't expect any more from her mother, sisters, or father by way of coming to terms with the reality of their family makeup (namely her father's fabrications, scams, etc), but what now? how does she continue to mediate her relationships with them? with others? is she becoming able to accept intimacy into her life? is she building friendships, romantic partnerships, etc with people who she can expect deep empathy, love, and authenticity from? is she off ambien?
ReplyDelete