Review: The Complete Maus

The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was handling all of this so well until the last third of the book.

My heart hurts.

What can I say that hasn't already been said about this brilliant graphic novel?

Let me start with my own preferences: I'm not a fan of graphic novels in black and white, and I hate war stories.

Yet this got to me.

I can't say I loved it - the reality of it is too brutal to call it love. But brilliant I can and will say when people ask what I think of this one.

The author cleverly uses depictions of mice and cats to tell his father's story of his experience as a Jew during WWII, while contrasting with the present day account of his father relating the story to him. We get to see his father as a victim of the war, but also as an elderly survivor with his own prejudices.

The honesty is stark, and impossible to escape from.

This is not an easy read by any means, and as such it took me a long time with other reading in between. This is a heavy story told so matter-of-factly that it's impossible not to be impacted by it.

I'm grateful to have read this, and for the author and his father for sharing this story so boldly.

Highly recommend to all.

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