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Guest Review: Stitches, A Memoir

By | November 16th, 2009
Posted in Reviews | % Comments


It is with great pleasure I present to you a guest review of David Small’s Stitches, A Memoir. We love to promote lesser known works and those that help expand the art of comic-based literature, so the opportunity to present more reviews is definitely something I personally promote seeing as David is the only person who consistently reads original graphic novels. So it is with that that I present to you a short and sweet review of David Small’s latest endeavor, written by Jessica Graham.

As an avid reader, I am open minded to almost any form of literature. I’m particularly fond of the classic novel, but have divulged into graphic novels over the past year thanks to trusted recommendations. While looking for new books to pick up, I sifted through many “Best of 2009” book lists online. Over and over again I came across the title, “Stitches, a memoir.” by David Small. While reading the synopsis, I was quickly intrigued by this man’s inconceivably haunting childhood. While purchasing the book, little did I know it was a graphic novel. As I skimmed through the pages, I already knew this novel would grip my attention.

“Stitches, a memoir.” tells the true story of one man’s childhood plagued by preventable illness, parental deception, personal anguish and thereafter self discovery. Since birth, David Small was a sick child. His mother was a bitter and disgruntled woman who saw him more of a nuisance than a blessing, and his father was a prestigious ENT doctor. Unfortunately for him, David’s father was also a radiologist in the 1950’s. At this time, x-rays were believed to be the solution for any ailment. With David being prone to sickness, he underwent hundreds of x-rays before he reached his teens. Unknown to him, David’s father had inadvertently given his innocent 11 year-old son cancer and left his malignant disease untreated for years with deplorable mental and physical repercussions.

The graphic novel, written and illustrated by David Small himself is a charming work of art. The minimal dialogue and emphasis of artwork embeds you into the the child’s point of view. The delightful and often lively black and gray sketches ideally compliment this truly somber story. Each page is alluring and mournful respectively. David Small allows the reader to feel his suffering while gratifying one with hope.


Matthew Meylikhov

Once upon a time, Matthew Meylikhov became the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Multiversity Comics, where he was known for his beard and fondness for cats. Then he became only one of those things. Now, if you listen really carefully at night, you may still hear from whispers on the wind a faint voice saying, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine is not as bad as everyone says it issss."

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