I’ve long been a fan of graphic memoirist, Lucy Knisley, from her food encounters traveling with her mother in France in her book, French Milk to Something New: Tales of a Makeshift Bride in which she’s documented events leading up to her wedding. She is genius at capturing her internal life, honestly laying bare her insecurities, fears, compulsions, and joys. Knisley takes the reader on a vicarious journey from her surprise proposal to dress shopping, to mix tapes, to reigning in her well meaning caterer mother. She brings a fresh, reasonable, and creative perspective to the process of wedding planning as she notes the sometimes crazy ways couples celebrate marriage and the often extreme expenses they incur. Knisley uses her DIY skills as an artist to keep costs down and adds a personal touch to her own wedding. She wears rubber boots and a simple gown with pockets on her rainy wedding day. Her mother’s back yard and barn is a venue large enough to accommodate 130 guests, cutting out rental costs. Knisley’s art is expressive and full of detail. The attractively designed book is interspersed with personal photos.
Knisley is a foodie and the daughter of a gourmet chef and caterer. She shares her love of food in all of
her books, but especially in, Relish: My Life in the Kitchen. When her ailing grandparents need a
companion to accompany them on a cruise, they recruit Knisley which results in the funny and poignant,
Displacement in which she documents the challenges of the present interspersed with her grandparents’ reminiscences, especially her grandfather’s experience during World War II. Age of License documents Knisley’s coming of age book tour in Europe and Scandinavia. Always fresh and introspective, Knisley’s is a life well drawn.
