ND Stevenson: Fire Never Goes Out (2020, HarperCollins Publishers)
160 pages
English language
Published Nov. 8, 2020 by HarperCollins Publishers.
This was so good. Anyone who has had any sort of mental health issues will probably see a bit of themselves in here. This brilliantly depicts what it’s like to be 20-something.
Stevenson depicts her coming out and growing into adulthood in a series of comics that span 2011 through 2019. I'm not familiar with memoir as a genre, but I was hoping for more personal insight, probing, and depth into how Stevenson grew and overcame her various obstacles. I understand that she grew up in a religious family, for instance, as a middle child of 5. How did her actions affect her family, her identity within (and without) her religion? How does she come to terms with all of these?
But the book doesn't cover those things. Reading the book, you don't learn she has a large family, or much reference to how they react. There is the smallest blip about her former religion (and how she isn't welcomed any longer). And similar for her family.
Introspection is hard, and I imagine writing this and placing it into the world is …
Stevenson depicts her coming out and growing into adulthood in a series of comics that span 2011 through 2019. I'm not familiar with memoir as a genre, but I was hoping for more personal insight, probing, and depth into how Stevenson grew and overcame her various obstacles. I understand that she grew up in a religious family, for instance, as a middle child of 5. How did her actions affect her family, her identity within (and without) her religion? How does she come to terms with all of these?
But the book doesn't cover those things. Reading the book, you don't learn she has a large family, or much reference to how they react. There is the smallest blip about her former religion (and how she isn't welcomed any longer). And similar for her family.
Introspection is hard, and I imagine writing this and placing it into the world is harder still. I feel a bit like a jerk commenting on this at all. Honestly, though, I was hoping for that introspection and deep thought. And I was let down.
