Blankets

On Friday, January 6, 2006 I walked into my favorite local bookstore and purchased Blankets by Craig Thompson.

It is an illustrated novel.

Imagine a comic book format with a novel plot line and you begin to understand what an illustrated novel is.

It is closely related to a graphic novel. It has similar characteristics to manga, which is a form of Japanese cartoons for adult readers. It also has the subtle influence of anime, which is a form of animation found in some of the Disney films.

All that aside, I purchased Blankets and took it home.

I am not sure what it is that so poignantly affected me when I read it. It graphically tells the story of Thompsons early childhood raised in an evangelical christian family.

Through nine chapters Thompson tells the story of his life and his relationship with his brother.

In the last chapter, Thompson describes his life and the process of how he abandoned his faith. He describes what it was like to move out of his parents home and moved to the point of independence in his living arrangements as well as his thinking.

The pictures throughout the book are startling and very moving. The storyline is abrupt at places and heartbreaking in others.

The nearly 600 page book ends with several pages of a man walking through the snow. The black footprints in the white snow are riveting.

On page 581 these words appear

How satisfying it is to leave mark on a blank surface

To make a map of my movement

Turn to page 582...

--no matter how temporary

The book sits on my shelf in my office. I have recommended it to several people and they have read it. There is something in that book that reminds me of why I am a Christ-follower. There is something in Thompsons writings that resonate with my quest to be a "learner" in a world that values mediocrity.

It is not for the faint of heart. But it can strengthen a heart that is fainting. Maybe that is the test of great literature.

Blankets.