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A review by rebeccacider
A Contract With God and Other Tenement Stories by Will Eisner
My first Will Eisner. The art is exquisite, but maaaan is this a bleak depiction of the human condition.
In general, I don't love narratives that are framed around whoever is causing the most pain. In these stories, it's often unclear which character earns this superlative - nevertheless, most are organized around broken men and the inscrutable or one-dimensional women who, like the God of the title story, push them toward their tragic ends. From this perspective, "Cookalein" was probably my favorite story - it's heavy, but felt more multidimensional.
I think the best art resonates even when the creator and audience have different worldviews. From that perspective, A Contract With God is a successful book - I found a lot to unpack in these stories, despite not sharing their assessment of human nature.
In general, I don't love narratives that are framed around whoever is causing the most pain. In these stories, it's often unclear which character earns this superlative - nevertheless, most are organized around broken men and the inscrutable or one-dimensional women who, like the God of the title story, push them toward their tragic ends. From this perspective, "Cookalein" was probably my favorite story - it's heavy, but felt more multidimensional.
I think the best art resonates even when the creator and audience have different worldviews. From that perspective, A Contract With God is a successful book - I found a lot to unpack in these stories, despite not sharing their assessment of human nature.