And Now I Spill the Family Secrets: An Illustrated Memoir

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Description

Named one of Publishers Weeklys Best of 2021 List in Comics.

2021 Top of the List Graphic Novel Pick

In the spirit of Alison Bechdels Fun Home and Roz Chasts Cant We Talk About Something More Pleasant,Margaret Kimballs AND NOW I SPILL THE FAMILY SECRETS begins in the aftermath of a tragedy.

In 1988, when Kimball is only four years old, her mother attempts suicide on Mothers Dayand this becomes one of many things Kimballs family never speaks about. As she searches for answers nearly thirty years later, Kimball embarks on a thrilling visual journey into the secrets her family has kept for decades.

Using old diary entries, hospital records, home videos, and other archives, Margaret pieces together a narrative map of her childhoodher mothers bipolar disorder, her grandmothers institutionalization, and her brothers increasing strugglesin an attempt to understand what no one likes to talk about: the fractures in her family.

Both a coming-of-age story about family dysfunction and a reflection on mental health, AND NOW I SPILL THE FAMILY SECRETS is funny, poignant, and deeply inspiring in its portrayal of what drives a family apart and what keeps them together.

Reviews

"A compelling family saga about falling apart and coming back together again, Kimballs book is part mystery, part confessional, and part love story. Her visuals capture the absences left behind when mental health crises change our relationships to those we love, but her words aim always to reconnect and understand. A probing, insightful, and ultimately beautiful work." Brian Castleberry,Director of the Hayes Writers Series and author ofNine Shiny Objects "Margaret Kimball's heart-wrenching memoir is proof that family secrets--once uncovered and embraced--can not only become art that wows us but art that moves us closer to empathy and understanding." Rachel Beanland, author of Florence Adler Swims Forever "Compelling and beautifully drawnMargi Kimball sets out to unravel the complicated tangle of her family history with an architects meticulousness, detectives curiosity, a writers eloquence, and a daughter and sisters deep yet guarded love." Ellen Forney, New York Times bestselling author of Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo and Me "With scalpel-sharp writing and tidy drawings, Kimball takes on a detective-like rigor as she unthreads her mothers bipolar disorder and suicide attempts, her parents divorce, and the family history leading up to these defining events.A riveting reality to inhabit." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) "An extraordinarily honest look at life behind closed suburban doors, and with a sublimely redemptive conclusion. A welcome debut that will leave readers eager for a successorand soon." Kirkus (STARRED REVIEW) An astonishing, loving, resonant chronicle of the hard and necessary work to make sense of the consciousness in ourselves and in our families. Booklist (STARRED REVIEW) "An empathetic, uncommonly nuanced, and thoroughly brilliant family saga presented with real daring and true artistry." Library Journal

Author Bio

MARGARET KIMBALL is an illustrator and writer whose graphic essays have appeared in Ecotone, Black Warrior Review, Copper Nickel, and elsewhere. Her work has been listed as Notable in Best American Comics and she's been in residence at both Yaddo and MacDowell. Her illustration clients include Smithsonian Magazine, Bravery, Ogilvy, and many major publishers, among others. She lives with her family in Indianapolis.