I loved Persepolis when I read it last summer, so when I saw Chicken with Plums
I knew I had to give it a try. I actually didn't realize Marjane Satrapi has a few different books out so now I'm interested to take a look for more from her. Chicken with Plums is a graphic memoir about the death of Marjane's uncle. Her uncle chooses to starve himself to death and the story weaves through his last eight days of death. It's a powerful story that deals with suicide, the reasons for it, and the affects it has on those around the person. Basically, with suicide, there are no easy answers.
I'm a big fan of Satrapi's black and white images and the easiness of the scenes. They are easy to understand and the book can be read quickly, although I've enjoyed going back through the pages and picking up new things. I particularly enjoyed the images (although they are very erotic-but I didn't like them because I'm a pervert, although let's face it we all kind of are) of her uncle's obsession with Sophia Loren. It brought some comedic relief to the story but was also a great comment on the loneliness of fantasy. Her uncle dives into his fantasy as he tries to pull himself away from the frustration of his wife breaking his tar (Iranian lute) over her leg.
You kind of hate her uncle for being an ass to his wife and a little self-obsessed, but at the same time I think we've all been there. It's so hard to gain perspective from the inside and things always seem worse than they actually are. Overall I think this was a great read, although I didn't like it as much as Persepolis.
The graphic novel earned an A.
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