ashmeanything 's review for:

Maus: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman

3.0

---

While I can't say I really enjoyed this book, I do think it's important to read. Hearing as many perspectives as possible will always be important for shared tragedy, and this take was really unique. It comes down to whether the format works for each person. Using the father's dialect and broken English both enhanced the realism but also made it harder to read. For me, switching between the past (recalling the beginning of the Holocaust) and the present (Artie & his father struggling to relate to each other) was a little distracting. I can see the parallels - the book literally hands it to you in the blurb - and think it's interesting to compare how the survivors of trauma often pass on trauma to their loved ones. Vladek is not especially agreeable nor kind, but that's how things go; sometimes, the people who live are not the ones who are nice and most lovable... Portraying this felt interesting but also really significant. Knowing a lot about the Holocaust also made an impact on my reading experience; I expected sensation and the worst parts on display, but this book shows that some of the lasting and insidious effects can be subtle.

Why mice? This was a fun discussion in my book club. I'm sure it's covered in depth somewhere, but there's no mention in this book itself. It makes a cool narrative metaphor to see the Nazis as cats, killing mice at will. I can only imagine it was helpful for the author to create some emotional distance, too. I'll read the next one eventually and look forward to the conversation that one brings.

Content warnings for family trauma, guns, starvation, torture, mental health, suicide, murder, war, antisemitism, emotional abuse, hanging, poison, beatings, and child death.