Blankets, by Craig Thompson

The whole graphic-novel thing doesn't do a ton for me, since I'm not a particularly visual person; I speed through them, mostly reading the words and only absorbing the pictures on a subconscious level. I am not the target market.

That said, this book was amazing--the pictures told the story along with the words, sharing equally in the responsibility, and, what's more, they evoked a wistfulness and grace that suited the book well, particularly in its nebulous (yet touching) ending. This is biography beautifully done, in fact, probably as beautifully as I've ever seen a biography done. Using the motif of blankets--the blanket that sheltered the author and his brother in their childhood bed, the blanket that the author's first girlfriend quilted for him--the author his explores his childhood, his relationship with his brother and his first girlfriend, and his faith. It's deep and wise and personal and, most of all, very, very good.