Miriam’s drawing style is not one I’m usually drawn to. The book seemed so nicely designed and was a memoir so I bought it. Also maybe being Jewish attracted me although after Maus, I could never imagine wanting to read another sad Holocaust graphic novel. But the story is more a celebration of Miriam’s and her mother’s survival after her father left to fight for the Hungarian army and the Nazi’s came and invaded Budapest. After faking their own deaths, she and her mother escaped to the countryside posing as a peasant and illegitimate child. The two have many scary adventures with strangers but eventually her father finds them again and they all reunite. The sketchy pencil illustrations are perfect for depicting Miriam’s naive childhood memories. The few pages in color are snippets of present day. In those we get a glimpse into Miriam’s life as a mother and how her childhood made an impact on her belief in faith. The book is published by Drawn&Quarterly but you can find out more about Miriam here.

© Julia Rothman 2007