A review by morrisimo
The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.5

Wow. A harrowing and brutal depiction of the Holocaust told through stories from father to son. I think the juxtaposition of time works very well, and the examination of Art and Vladek's relationship speaks to the impact of the Holocaust on the next generation. I liked how reflexivity was used to examine the implications of writing the book. I also liked the use of different animals to represent different ethnicities, especially the cats and mice as Germans and Jews. The way the story is told is extremely personal, despite the de-personification. We experience both the Holocaust and the father-son relationship on such an intimate level, which makes them all the more powerful. It's a difficult and upsetting read, but it's phenomenal in its execution. I strongly recommend this book, and even though I'm not huge on comics or graphic novels I want to read more of the author's work.
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