For having been aware of Bechdel for a long time, I’ve actually never read any of her comics. Instead I watched a musical of her best selling memoir…and didn’t especially like it. And that was it, until now, this one piqued my interest and came at just the right time, since I read a wider variety of graphic novels now, which is pretty much most things our library deems fit to acquire outside of manga.
Why the interest, though? Is it because I’ve my own complicatedly obsessive relationship with fitness? Possibly. It certainly wasn’t the memoir aspect of it, because I don’t care for memoirs and Bechdel has essentially made her career out of her life, the good, the strange and the ugly of it. For me, that sort of exposure is difficult to fathom, but obviously it works for her and actually to her credit…it genuinely makes for compelling reading. Surprisingly so, especially considering the length of this book, not just the length, but the density of the text…this is a graphic novel that leans very heavily into the novel aspect of its definition and comes out on top. At first it seemed like a fairly generic essay on the prevalent gym culture, fitness fads, etc., albeit from a personal perspective of the author and then it turned into a biographical account, wherein decade by decade Bechdel took you through her life as a fitness junkie, trend after trend, discipline after discipline, but all done within the framework of her actual life, love, career, etc. Or maybe it’s the other way around…her life as framed by fitness obsessions. Either way, it’s surprisingly (for someone who isn’t a fan of memoirs) compelling. And really well done. It isn’t just Bechdel’s life, though, she cleverly juxtaposes it with some famous writerly names of years past, from Romantics to Beatniks, anyone who thought to forge their way outside of the box and through putting in enough steps in the nature to please the most demanding of wearable fitness devices. I really enjoyed those literary digressions and actually learned a thing or two about those individuals. That was all about the novel, but the graphic aspect is excellent in and of itself. Sometimes these cartoon memoirs can be so…well, cartoonish. But this was excellent indeed, really great art and colors, interesting panel choices including what appears to be large two page watercolors, great details. Bechdel has been at it all her life and her talent is apparent. Wherein her fitness levels are just…intimidating. Whatever the craze…biking, yoga, pilates, etc. she’s been there, done that and got the performance fleece. One might get tired just reading about it. You gotta admire the commitment, though. Well done. On both fronts. An enjoyable read, I liked it. Might read more of the author’s work now. Recommended.
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