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bookph1le's review
4.0
It's only over the last couple of years that I've really started diving into graphic novels, and I've found they're a genre I very much enjoy. I've never read anything by Healy before, but I was intrigued by the description of this book and decided to give it a go. I'm glad I did because I found this a pretty compelling read.
Healy's books differ from most other graphic novels I've read in that they sometimes have a lot more text in them than I'm used to graphic novels having. The bulk of this book still consists of pictures, but there are also some pretty lengthy sections that are a text wall. This was a little jarring to me at first, but I felt it ultimately worked because I was so interested in what Healy had to say. There were three main themes in this work that I found particularly compelling: the history of Ireland in the 90s, when Healy was growing up; his trek along the PCT; and his coming-of-age story.
I don't know much about Ireland in general, and though I'd heart of the "Celtic Tiger", I didn't know much about it. It was eye-opening to read about the struggles people in Ireland went through, and the promise of a better future resulting from investment in the country. As an American, I was interested in how the U.S. influenced Ireland, and I hadn't realized how wide a reach American pop culture had in Ireland in the 90s. Even though we lived on totally different continents and though Healy and I aren't the same age, it sounds like we have a lot of the same cultural contexts thanks to 90s American culture. It was interesting to read the perspective of someone who more or less fetishized America coming to grips with the actual America rather than his vision of it. I always find it illuminating to see how people from outside the U.S. view America, and his understated points about barriers both literal and figurative keeping people out was sobering.
Healy's trek itself was fascinating to me. I've never been a serious hiker or backpacker and don't know much about it. I'm sure I'm not the only one whose first real introduction to it was Cheryl Strayed's Wild, and ever since reading that book I've found myself gravitating toward other hiking memoirs. I appreciated that Healy was very up front about the fact that he probably should have trained more and been better prepared before attempting the Pacific Coast Trail. It never ceases to amaze me how much deprivation and pain seems to go into distance hiking, and I read this memoir with the same kind of morbid fascination with which I've read other hiking memoirs. I won't even attempt to deny that there's a voyeuristic quality to reading these, that it stokes some mordant curiosity in me that makes me wonder why people inflict this on themselves. At the same time, Healy's recounting of his experience and his drawings also made me see the appeal. I think a lot of people are tempted by the possibility of conquering their own human frailty, of pushing themselves further than they thought they could. I also understand the appeal of being in the middle of stark, untouched nature--though his encounter with a mountain lion made me reassess the appeal.
Lastly, the coming-of-age aspects of this book also fascinated me. Though I left my twenties in the rearview mirror some time ago, I still vividly remember that bewildering decade. Like most kids, I thought adults had it all figured out and knew where they were going, but when I reached my own adulthood I was baffled by the entire concept. I could really identify with Healy's struggles to figure out who he was and where he was going, and I could relate to the sense of detachment he seemed to feel, that sensation of "is this really my life now"? I think a person's 20s are a very strange decade, and I certainly don't understand anyone's nostalgia for that period. I'd never want to go back to such a confusing period of my life.
As for the art, it was also different from a lot of the other graphic memoirs I've read. Healy's drawings are sometimes sparse to the point of being austere, and the limited color scheme in this book--all reds, blues, and whites--was also a different experience for me. However, I think his drawings are deceptively simple at times. When I paused to take a really good look at them, I'd find small details that escaped me the first time around, and this is partially not just because the drawings are usually unadorned line drawings, it's also because Healy conveys a great deal of space in these drawings. This is a cool trick because it helps drive home how vast and wild the landscape he was covering was, how small and insignificant a portion of that landscape one person can seem. His simple drawings convey a lot of emotion, particularly the grueling exertion of the trek and his extreme confusion and sense of uncertainty when he receives some disturbing news and is uncertain what to do about it.
Overall, I found this a very absorbing read, and I liked being immersed in Healy's tale. I enjoyed his work a great deal and will try to read more by him.
Healy's books differ from most other graphic novels I've read in that they sometimes have a lot more text in them than I'm used to graphic novels having. The bulk of this book still consists of pictures, but there are also some pretty lengthy sections that are a text wall. This was a little jarring to me at first, but I felt it ultimately worked because I was so interested in what Healy had to say. There were three main themes in this work that I found particularly compelling: the history of Ireland in the 90s, when Healy was growing up; his trek along the PCT; and his coming-of-age story.
I don't know much about Ireland in general, and though I'd heart of the "Celtic Tiger", I didn't know much about it. It was eye-opening to read about the struggles people in Ireland went through, and the promise of a better future resulting from investment in the country. As an American, I was interested in how the U.S. influenced Ireland, and I hadn't realized how wide a reach American pop culture had in Ireland in the 90s. Even though we lived on totally different continents and though Healy and I aren't the same age, it sounds like we have a lot of the same cultural contexts thanks to 90s American culture. It was interesting to read the perspective of someone who more or less fetishized America coming to grips with the actual America rather than his vision of it. I always find it illuminating to see how people from outside the U.S. view America, and his understated points about barriers both literal and figurative keeping people out was sobering.
Healy's trek itself was fascinating to me. I've never been a serious hiker or backpacker and don't know much about it. I'm sure I'm not the only one whose first real introduction to it was Cheryl Strayed's Wild, and ever since reading that book I've found myself gravitating toward other hiking memoirs. I appreciated that Healy was very up front about the fact that he probably should have trained more and been better prepared before attempting the Pacific Coast Trail. It never ceases to amaze me how much deprivation and pain seems to go into distance hiking, and I read this memoir with the same kind of morbid fascination with which I've read other hiking memoirs. I won't even attempt to deny that there's a voyeuristic quality to reading these, that it stokes some mordant curiosity in me that makes me wonder why people inflict this on themselves. At the same time, Healy's recounting of his experience and his drawings also made me see the appeal. I think a lot of people are tempted by the possibility of conquering their own human frailty, of pushing themselves further than they thought they could. I also understand the appeal of being in the middle of stark, untouched nature--though his encounter with a mountain lion made me reassess the appeal.
Lastly, the coming-of-age aspects of this book also fascinated me. Though I left my twenties in the rearview mirror some time ago, I still vividly remember that bewildering decade. Like most kids, I thought adults had it all figured out and knew where they were going, but when I reached my own adulthood I was baffled by the entire concept. I could really identify with Healy's struggles to figure out who he was and where he was going, and I could relate to the sense of detachment he seemed to feel, that sensation of "is this really my life now"? I think a person's 20s are a very strange decade, and I certainly don't understand anyone's nostalgia for that period. I'd never want to go back to such a confusing period of my life.
As for the art, it was also different from a lot of the other graphic memoirs I've read. Healy's drawings are sometimes sparse to the point of being austere, and the limited color scheme in this book--all reds, blues, and whites--was also a different experience for me. However, I think his drawings are deceptively simple at times. When I paused to take a really good look at them, I'd find small details that escaped me the first time around, and this is partially not just because the drawings are usually unadorned line drawings, it's also because Healy conveys a great deal of space in these drawings. This is a cool trick because it helps drive home how vast and wild the landscape he was covering was, how small and insignificant a portion of that landscape one person can seem. His simple drawings convey a lot of emotion, particularly the grueling exertion of the trek and his extreme confusion and sense of uncertainty when he receives some disturbing news and is uncertain what to do about it.
Overall, I found this a very absorbing read, and I liked being immersed in Healy's tale. I enjoyed his work a great deal and will try to read more by him.
trevoryan's review
5.0
I love graphic memoirs and this is one of the best I've ever read. One of the most engrossing books I've read this year. And I'm not really much of a hiker!
ajaldana's review
adventurous
funny
inspiring
relaxing
fast-paced
5.0
geronimo stilton books were my favorite growing up and this graphic novel gave me the same butterfly excitement-joy-rush that those books did. healy is an awesome cartoonist and a fun inspiration!!
posthumusly's review
4.0
I liked this! Great art and a realistic, down to earth account of hiking the trail.