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A review by mh_doma
A Guest in the House by E.M. Carroll
dark
tense
fast-paced
5.0
11/18/23: When I reached the ending, I initially felt taken aback and confused about how we got there. However, upon sitting with it and reflecting on the rest of the book, I’m incredibly impressed with how much of it was actually foreshadowed. This is the type of book that you have to reread and piece together yourself, which in my opinion, is one of the most satisfying types of books to engage with. The illustrations are also absolutely stunning and in reflection of the ending bear so much significance in terms of how its style contributes to broader narrative. Really impressed and will definitely be rereading!
Content warning(s): Discussion of potential suicide and childhood neglect
12/30/23: I haven't stopped thinking about this graphic novel since finishing it for the first time, and so, I did something I rarely do, especially so quickly: I did a reread, keeping in mind the ending this time. And since I haven't seen too many theories/speculations about this graphic novel, or interviews from Carroll revealing some answers, I wanted to write mine down.
Fantasy is, obviously, a core theme in this graphic novel that is much discussed in other reviews. However, as I was reading, I found myself wondering: Why does Abby have these fantasies in the first place? The answers that I have landed on are loneliness, secrecy, and, by extent, repression. The inability to speak one's truth to anyone except oneself. All of this leads to a mediocre life filled with surface level relationships for Abby that she's unhappy with, and, so, the only place she can find solace in then becomes her fantasies.
There are several points in Abby's story where she either is told directly not to tell the truth or chooses not to face the truth. Explicitly, there is the scene with her older sister—who is the only person that Abby seems to have been close with, or at least, to have admired, likely because of how seamlessly she fit into normative social standards women are expected to achieve (particularly with beauty and relationships)—where Abby is told not to tell their mother (who is strikingly referred to as a "dragon," a symbol that frequently comes up in the graphic novel) that she is going out. Another explicit scene is where Abby is asked by Crystal to not tell her father about the photograph of Sheila that Crystal has. It is assumed that Abby keeps all of these secrets, and the only time she ever shares one of her own is when she confides with Crystal that she had an imaginary friend growing up. This is also, notably, the first time in Abby's entire life that she has ever told anyone about this, speaking to the overarching idea that Abby buries her truths deeply. The fact that it is a secret related to her fantasies specifically also feels incredibly intentional on Carroll's end.
And then, there are the truths that Abby either refuses to face or that only seem to live within her subconscious. There are several points in the graphic novel where Abby speaks to the fact that she does not fit into her role of wife and mother. Through her comments about her romantic and sexual relationships with men as well as her fantasies about Sheila, it is implied that she experiences little attraction for men (if any, since she seems to mostly be attracted to the attention that her husband gives her rather than her husband himself) and a repressed attraction for women that she refuses to face. However, she never shares this with anybody (understandably, as it is the 90s), but even in terms of speaking about her self-doubt about her role as wife and mother, she never allows for anyone to see this part of her aside from the fantastical Sheila. There are also, several times, where Abby is shown wondering about Sheila (particularly, the details around her death) and doesn't bring them up to her husband, unwilling to look at the truth and instead fantasizing one of her own. The few times she does try to talk about her husband to Sheila, her questions/comments are subtle and frequently shutdown. The only time any of her doubts or suspicions surface is in her internal conversations or in her fantasies.
And so, even when confronted with the truth about Sheila at the end, Abby still refuses to face it and is in essence killed by her fantasies. A lot of readers, including myself, felt as though the ending happens quickly upon the first read, as it is revealed that Sheila is, in fact, alive and not at all how Abby had seen her in her imagination. In fact, at least for myself, I felt somewhat disappointed upon seeing Sheila now, as she is merely a regular woman with her own struggles and not a far-fetched, idealized princess. But upon a second reading, I feel as though how quickly the ending moves serves a purpose. Abby has an opportunity to talk to the real Sheila here, if she wanted to, and learn the truth behind what happened to her. Instead, though, she looks to the fantastical Sheila for answers, leading to a physical conflict between Abby and the real Sheila that is implied to lead to Abby's death. In the last panel though, the real Sheila is hugging Abby, and it is her fantasies that are running a sword through them both—killing Abby, and the fantastical image of Sheila that she has held this entire time. It is not only her fantasies that kill Abby here, but by extent, all that she has repressed and her inability to talk about any of it, these secrets and hidden truths that have pigeonholed her into a life that she disliked but only took action about through fantasy. Abby often refers to herself as a ghost, and while explicitly it seems like the fantastical ghost is the titular guest in the house, it is Abby herself who is the guest, not quite belonging and counterfeit if following in line with other themes in this graphic novel. A life led by repression and fantasy then becomes equivalent to death. It is her inability to face herself that, really, kills Abby.
I also find it interesting that the other character in this graphic novel who dies is Abby's husband. He, too, seemed to withhold truths, to the point of pretending that Sheila had died, rather than facing the complications of what having her in his life after divorce would look like. He also tries to life a fantasy and is ultimately drowned in part by Abby but also by the fantasies themselves.
This is all speculation, of course, but I couldn't help thinking about this upon rereading this graphic novel and wanted to write it down somewhere.
I have some tangential short thoughts on Abby's relationship with her mother that I want to share as well, as there is not much revealed about her mother, only implied, referencing again these ideas about repression: Like mentioned earlier, Abby's sister refers to her as a "dragon," which is a frightening, antagonistic symbol throughout the graphic novel. It is implied that Abby's mother had been distant from her, if not potentially neglectful. Before she kills her husband, he mentions that her mother would often fall asleep in places (which, in my mind, I immediately associated with substance issues, as the frame with her mother shows her smoking), including the bathtub. This stood out to me because fantastical Sheila told Abby that she was killed in a bathtub. But prior to this, Abby believed that Sheila had died by suicide. There are several fantastical figures that Abby imagines throughout the graphic novel that are shown to have neck wounds around the throat. This might be a far-fetched theory, but since it is never revealed how Abby's mother died, I wonder whether it was her mother who had actually died by suicide in the bathtub, specifically through a neck wound. Regardless of the truth, this is another aspect of her life that Abby represses and refuses to address, and if nothing else, her mother does seem to be a major source of Abby's loneliness/feelings of abandonment, which she wants to later save fantastical Sheila from.
Anyway! That is all from me for now. I think regardless of the truth, Carroll is a masterful artist and storyteller, and I really look forward to reading more from her, as her work has certainly been thought-provoking for me.
Content warning(s): Discussion of potential suicide and childhood neglect
12/30/23: I haven't stopped thinking about this graphic novel since finishing it for the first time, and so, I did something I rarely do, especially so quickly: I did a reread, keeping in mind the ending this time. And since I haven't seen too many theories/speculations about this graphic novel, or interviews from Carroll revealing some answers, I wanted to write mine down.
There are several points in Abby's story where she either is told directly not to tell the truth or chooses not to face the truth. Explicitly, there is the scene with her older sister—who is the only person that Abby seems to have been close with, or at least, to have admired, likely because of how seamlessly she fit into normative social standards women are expected to achieve (particularly with beauty and relationships)—where Abby is told not to tell their mother (who is strikingly referred to as a "dragon," a symbol that frequently comes up in the graphic novel) that she is going out. Another explicit scene is where Abby is asked by Crystal to not tell her father about the photograph of Sheila that Crystal has. It is assumed that Abby keeps all of these secrets, and the only time she ever shares one of her own is when she confides with Crystal that she had an imaginary friend growing up. This is also, notably, the first time in Abby's entire life that she has ever told anyone about this, speaking to the overarching idea that Abby buries her truths deeply. The fact that it is a secret related to her fantasies specifically also feels incredibly intentional on Carroll's end.
And then, there are the truths that Abby either refuses to face or that only seem to live within her subconscious. There are several points in the graphic novel where Abby speaks to the fact that she does not fit into her role of wife and mother. Through her comments about her romantic and sexual relationships with men as well as her fantasies about Sheila, it is implied that she experiences little attraction for men (if any, since she seems to mostly be attracted to the attention that her husband gives her rather than her husband himself) and a repressed attraction for women that she refuses to face. However, she never shares this with anybody (understandably, as it is the 90s), but even in terms of speaking about her self-doubt about her role as wife and mother, she never allows for anyone to see this part of her aside from the fantastical Sheila. There are also, several times, where Abby is shown wondering about Sheila (particularly, the details around her death) and doesn't bring them up to her husband, unwilling to look at the truth and instead fantasizing one of her own. The few times she does try to talk about her husband to Sheila, her questions/comments are subtle and frequently shutdown. The only time any of her doubts or suspicions surface is in her internal conversations or in her fantasies.
And so, even when confronted with the truth about Sheila at the end, Abby still refuses to face it and is in essence killed by her fantasies. A lot of readers, including myself, felt as though the ending happens quickly upon the first read, as it is revealed that Sheila is, in fact, alive and not at all how Abby had seen her in her imagination. In fact, at least for myself, I felt somewhat disappointed upon seeing Sheila now, as she is merely a regular woman with her own struggles and not a far-fetched, idealized princess. But upon a second reading, I feel as though how quickly the ending moves serves a purpose. Abby has an opportunity to talk to the real Sheila here, if she wanted to, and learn the truth behind what happened to her. Instead, though, she looks to the fantastical Sheila for answers, leading to a physical conflict between Abby and the real Sheila that is implied to lead to Abby's death. In the last panel though, the real Sheila is hugging Abby, and it is her fantasies that are running a sword through them both—killing Abby, and the fantastical image of Sheila that she has held this entire time. It is not only her fantasies that kill Abby here, but by extent, all that she has repressed and her inability to talk about any of it, these secrets and hidden truths that have pigeonholed her into a life that she disliked but only took action about through fantasy. Abby often refers to herself as a ghost, and while explicitly it seems like the fantastical ghost is the titular guest in the house, it is Abby herself who is the guest, not quite belonging and counterfeit if following in line with other themes in this graphic novel. A life led by repression and fantasy then becomes equivalent to death. It is her inability to face herself that, really, kills Abby.
I also find it interesting that the other character in this graphic novel who dies is Abby's husband. He, too, seemed to withhold truths, to the point of pretending that Sheila had died, rather than facing the complications of what having her in his life after divorce would look like. He also tries to life a fantasy and is ultimately drowned in part by Abby but also by the fantasies themselves.
This is all speculation, of course, but I couldn't help thinking about this upon rereading this graphic novel and wanted to write it down somewhere.
I have some tangential short thoughts on Abby's relationship with her mother that I want to share as well, as there is not much revealed about her mother, only implied, referencing again these ideas about repression: Like mentioned earlier, Abby's sister refers to her as a "dragon," which is a frightening, antagonistic symbol throughout the graphic novel. It is implied that Abby's mother had been distant from her, if not potentially neglectful. Before she kills her husband, he mentions that her mother would often fall asleep in places (which, in my mind, I immediately associated with substance issues, as the frame with her mother shows her smoking), including the bathtub. This stood out to me because fantastical Sheila told Abby that she was killed in a bathtub. But prior to this, Abby believed that Sheila had died by suicide. There are several fantastical figures that Abby imagines throughout the graphic novel that are shown to have neck wounds around the throat. This might be a far-fetched theory, but since it is never revealed how Abby's mother died, I wonder whether it was her mother who had actually died by suicide in the bathtub, specifically through a neck wound. Regardless of the truth, this is another aspect of her life that Abby represses and refuses to address, and if nothing else, her mother does seem to be a major source of Abby's loneliness/feelings of abandonment, which she wants to later save fantastical Sheila from.
Anyway! That is all from me for now. I think regardless of the truth, Carroll is a masterful artist and storyteller, and I really look forward to reading more from her, as her work has certainly been thought-provoking for me.