Generally speaking I don’t follow the graphic novel genre. Three months ago I couldn’t name one author – okay well, I could name one, but I definitely couldn’t name two. Von Allan changed that for me.
Von Allan lives in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. I met Von on Twitter (@VonAllan). We immediately talked “story” and found we had a great deal in common. When I saw the mock up of “the road to god knows…” I was easily taken with Von’s artwork and his beautiful ability to illustrate “silence” on the page. The cover art is actually my favorite frame in the book. The detail of the "Lost Cat" sign on the light post sets a perfect tone. The more intriguing part of this book, and what made me Von’s fan, is the story.
Marie is 13 years old and lives a very difficult life – one that must be told fearlessly and honestly in order to resonate with an audience. The first part of her story is that of an 8th grade girl navigating the landscape of teachers and peers. It’s pretty daunting for our girl.
The second layer of complexity is Marie’s mother, Betty, who is just home from a stay in the hospital. Betty suffers from schizophrenia – an illness that not only comes with a clinical diagnosis but also a societal moral judgment. Marie struggles to make sense of her teenage world while trying to protect her mother from others and herself.
I know something about chronic illness. My mother was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis when I was eight years old. The medical community didn’t know much about MS in the 1970’s. My mother’s neurologist said there was a 90% chance she would be dead within 10 years. By the time I was 13 I was so resentful that I was almost absent from my mother’s life. After I started driving, I rarely saw my family.
MS doesn’t carry a stigma the way most mental illnesses unfortunately do. One symptomatic crossover is the lack of appearing sick – at least in the beginning. I had to field a lot of questions and deal with a lot of awkward silence.
When I read this book the first time, I immediately wondered how I would’ve felt about it when I was 13. Would I have pushed it away? Would I have exhaled warm air from my lungs in the kind of way that can change a teenager’s trajectory? Marie’s future is uncertain. Her giggles are stolen between day-to-night worries. Von leaves Marie’s story open so the reader can walk with her on – the road to god knows…
