5.0

This is only my second graphic novel, my first being Persepolis. So I'm quite new to this genre.
Actually, what do you call a graphic novel that is non-fiction? Graphic non-fiction? Graphic memoir? Those aren't very catchy. This particular book is part scrapbook, part graphic novel, part memoir and part social history.

I know that this book won't be for everyone. The story doesn't wrap up in a neat little bow. The author doesn't necessarily find what she is looking for, and there are no easy lessons to be learned. But for whatever reason, this book really worked for me. I found it so touching and relatable, even though I have very little in common with the author.

I've known for a long time that many Germans find it difficult to feel patriotism, and that the reason Germany was so instrumental in the formation of the EU was because it was important for Germans to feel pride in their Europeanness, rather than their Germanness. And, having been to Germany before, I knew that some tourists still make horrible Hitler jokes and do the Nazi salute (despite it being against the law). I didn't consider that some Germans might feel the need to pretend to be Dutch while travelling. I hadn't thought much about how it might be difficult for families to openly grieve for loved ones who died during the war because of their association with the Nazi regime, or about how those loved ones might not feel entitled to their grief.

Nora Krug grapples with a lot of complex emotions here, and for whatever reason I was just really moved by her slow uncovering of her family's past. I just adored this book.