by Nate PowellIt is hard to know where to begin with this title; the whole thing is a bit mind-bending.
Story: The story revolves around Ruth, to a lesser extent her stepbrother Perry, and to an even lesser extent their grandmother, "Memaw". More than being family, these three have something in common: they are all schizophrenics to some degree. They all experience vivid hallucinations that they interact with. Ruth collects different insect species that she keeps preserved in jars in her bedroom. Even dead, they talk to her. Unlike Perry, who sees a miniature wizard on the end of his pencil that tells him to draw things, Ruth embraces what she experiences, ultimately believing it will all lead to unraveling the mysteries of her life and the world.
Most of the time we are following the siblings through their high school experiences, though Ruth can be so detached from it all the high school drama seems almost unimportant. Really, the story is a surreal shared experience as the reader enters into the character's subjective world. You are left wondering if they are crazy or not. It is probably what being schizophrenic is like.
Themes: The previously mentioned difference between the two siblings, about how they react to their strange visions, easily examples a major human tug of war. Perry dislikes the hallucinations for making him different than others. He would rather acquiesce to the status quo, living a normal life, fitting in. Ruth throws all that to the dogs, seeing her uniqueness almost as her salvation. Though she is tempted at a few times, it is amazing her resoluteness to stick to her path, and that she doesn't struggle with it more. Most if not all people have come up against the decision of whether to play a part or stand apart in their lives. I think we make these decisions all the times, and are constantly living out the consequences of them, for good or ill. Swallow Me Whole gives us another opportunity to reflect upon our patterns and practices in this area.
The ending deconstructs what we thought was reality a little (these were just hallucinations right? Right?), and leaves Perry looking like quite the enabler for his sister's issues. It all begs the questions of how should loyalty and love play into dealing with someone in such a mental state. I am sure one could apply it to other scenarios as well. I would love to hear peoples thoughts on that one.
Art: I get the feeling that Powell understand that that art in a comic isn't just interesting pictures to look at, but that the drawings, just as much as the writing, are there to serve in telling the story. Sounds like a simple enough idea, but it is surprising how often it is bungled. Even the writing is put in it's place here. The background dialogue is barely, if at all, readable. It is as if to say, "this isn't really important, it is enough to merely know it is there." This brilliantly underscores that the story is about the personal inner world of our character.
The images are rather evocative, at times enigmatic (come on, this is crazy stuff we're talking about), and ultimately exactly what they should be in order suck you into what is going on and keep you there.
And so... According to the author's bio in the back, Powell has been working with developmentally disabled adults since 1999. It lends a certain credibility to his portrait of schizophrenia perhaps. I certainly wouldn't mind picking his brain about it.
Note the dedication in the back, "this is for E.T."
Recommended
