August 14, 2009

The Impostor's Daughter by Laurie Sandell


The Impostor’s Daughter by Laurie Sandell was the first graphic book I’ve ever read. I’m not sure if I would have ever picked up a graphic anything, if this book hadn’t been a memoir. The idea of mixing the two seemed like an easy way to broach the genre. And two hours later, I had read the book cover to cover.

The author decides to write an article on her remarkable pop. While fact checking, she uncovers that his stories are fiction. More research uncovers lawsuits stemming from bad business dealings, and identity theft. Laurie is devastated after years of idolizing her dad. Feeling betrayed and disillusioned Sandell finds it cathartic to write her article anyway. The story covers the resulting fall out.

After reading the book, I still don’t have a clear picture of why she chose to expose her dad so publicly and alienate the rest of her family, but more memorable then her story is the clever and original way Sandell had chosen to tell it. Whether it is your first or just your latest graphic book, this honest portrayal of family dysfunction which in the end inspired remarkable creativity is an amazing way to kill a few hours.

2 comments:

  1. I've read several reviews for this book and I think you're the first person to mention that this is a graphic novel. The cover makes me think that it's a children's book. It all seems like a strange way to tell a this type of story.

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  2. It's a graphic memior. Kind of like a grown up comic book. I was prepared for the worst, but this was surprisingly sophsticated.

    ReplyDelete

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