Fun Home by Alison Bechdel

Source of book: Borrowed from the library

 

I will confess, I mostly know Alison Bechdel from the litmus test that bears her name. 

 

If you aren’t familiar with the Bechdel Test, it was created by Bechdel to analyze movies. In order to pass, a movie has to have (1) at least two named women in it, who (2) talk to each other (3) about something other than a man. 

 

This is, obviously, a bare minimum, and yet somehow hundreds of movies fail to pass. Even really good movies. 

 

One can apply this to books or other art forms too, of course. 

 

I probably read an article or two written by Bechdel over the years, but wasn’t really all that familiar with her writing or art. 

 

So, I decided to grab a copy of Fun Home for a quick read on my most recent camping trip. 

 

The book is a graphic work, not a novel, but non-fiction. It is all about the author’s childhood, with a particular focus on her father. 

 

It is safe to say that the book isn’t nearly as “fun” as the title - it is very much sarcastic. 

 

In addition to the fact that quite possibly everyone in her family is on the autism spectrum, there was a lot of dysfunction. 

 

Her father could be violent and abusive, but mostly he was just emotionally absent. He was obsessed with the renovation and decorating of the old decrepit mansion he bought in his hometown, and intolerant of kids being kids. 

 

But there was more than that, as Alison eventually found out as an adult. Her dad was a closeted homosexual, who had a series of relationships with teen boys, nearly ending up in prison for one of the liaisons. During family visits to New York City, he would go out cruising, leaving the family behind. 

 

Alison didn’t have any idea about any of this as a child. It was well hidden, for the most part, and wasn’t talked about. 

 

What triggered everything happened when Alison went off to college. There, she realized she was a lesbian, and eventually came out to her parents. They weren’t horrible, but they weren’t entirely supportive either. 

 

Weirdly, her father wrote her letters that seemed to assume she knew his secrets, but since she didn’t they were just puzzling. At the same time, her mother decided she was going to file for divorce - again, something that Alison didn’t know. 

 

A few months later, her father was dead, hit by a semitruck. In Alison’s opinion, it was a suicide, but having read the book, there is plenty of grey. It could have been an accident. It could have been a spontaneous suicide. Or it could have been carefully planned. 

 

After this, all the secrets came out. 

 

I am skipping over a lot here, though. There is quite a bit more to the story. Alison and her father weren’t exactly close, but they did have the shared bond of literature. So many of the literary references were to books I have read and enjoyed - it would be a long task to list them all. 

Her mother was an amateur actor, in addition to teaching, and the scenes where she practices being Lady Bracknell are rather amusing. 

 

Oh, and I should mention that her father taught high school English, but also managed the family mortuary business part time. So, yeah, it was a weird upbringing even without the secrets. 

 

It is no wonder that Bechdel ended up with OCD and a few other tics. 

 

The incidents of childhood are told in such a recognizable way - any of us who remember being kids can see themselves in this family at least a little. 

 

The book is full of delightful illustrations - Bechdel is really good at portraying human emotion in simple drawing. The stories are fun, heartbreaking, and deeply human. 

 

 

The book has also been the target of bans, in significant part because of the gay themes, and the semi-graphic depictions of lesbian sex and masturbation. I say semi because there are naked breasts and butts and pubic hair, but no visible genitals.  

 

While I wouldn’t say the book is a light read, exactly, it is fast paced, and can be read in a single sitting if you wish. 

 

I was kind of surprised that the book was made into a musical, but at this point, what hasn’t? 

 

Anyway, I didn’t write any lines down, because it isn’t really that kind of a book. It needs to be experienced, not quoted, if that makes sense. I’d definitely give this one a read. 

 

And yes, it does in fact pass the Bechdel Test.