Customer Reviews

The Road to God Knows...

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This small, beautifully illustrated graphic novel has a serious storm at its center, and a lot of light shining through the clouds. From its opening quote by Groucho Marx to its rainbow-in-a-moment on page 141, it will win your heart. The author has a rare gift for creating characters you'll feel like you've met--Marie the Road Warrior (salutin' her strength here--crystal clear in the picture of her striding down the street on the book's cover, lopsided ponytails swingin'), her mom, her best friend--and deftly captures the passage of time and flow of emotions (awkward dinnertimes, endless school days, absorbing teasing by classmates, trying to say things you just can't say) in really interesting ways. I don't think I've done this book justice with my comment here. I guess the best way to explain its impact is by saying: This is a book that I imagine will make many people--young teens and people decades past that--feel much less alone.

Marie's story cuts across two very important conditions in life: adolescence and chronic illness. The first thread demonstrates the reality that our teenage years bring about adult responsibilities without true adult freedoms. We witness Marie struggling to make sense of her teenage world, and trying to protect her mom from others and herself. Marie attempts to navigate these issues without the benefit of adequate adult resources creating a state of near constant imbalance. The second thread highlights the conflict brought about by mental illness. Marie is forced to deal with her mother's (Betty) schizophrenia that carries not only a clinical diagnosis but also a societal moral judgment. The story arc here is well developed - plot points and conflict are intertwined with equal tension. Von draws "silence" artfully and clearly. Nice. I love that Von does not cheapen the ongoing struggle of this family by wrapping it all up with a bow. He offers readers the threads to weave together Marie's extended truth using their own narrative. The cover art is actually my favorite frame in the book. The detail of the "Lost Cat" sign on the light post sets a perfect tone. Beautiful work. Looking forward to Von's next book!

In this well-drawn book, Von Allen delicately crafts a household where we meet Marie, a teenage daughter who must learn to cope with her well-meaning and loving, yet schizophrenic mother Betty. Marie's day-to-day challenges living with Betty's mental illness and subsequent breakdowns are brought to life in a very meaningful and personal way by the author. Instead of simply becoming a victim, Marie learns to rise up and take control of her own situation and life amidst the chaos and instability of her family. Having had to deal with mental illness in my own family, I can say that this is a realistic, important work by a vibrant young author who should continue to make his mark in the years to come.

I loved it! This is a medium that can reach so many more people of just about any age. Much more than a simple book can. A picture says a thousand words and this art is much more than pictures!. This art is in story form and it teaches about life. We learn from each other, our community, and networks. What about the hidden parts of life that are hard to look at? Bravo to Mr Von Allen for putting his considerable talent to suchLi'l Kids: "road to god knows..." adventures! an important cause! As a teacher and an addictions counsellor, I highly recommend this entertaining, yet educating product. I wish all young adults and my clients, and students would read this, I know they would not only enjoy reading this art, but enjoy relating to the life journey. A book has it's value, but is tedious and tends to be boring and preachy when dealing with this subject matter. Even a good book of this nature and I have some. They are NEVER accused of art, or entertainment value! LOL As far as graphic novels go this is quality stuff at a low price so enjoy this bargain for what it is! The road to god knows... an original graphic novel about hope, friendship, mental illness, schizophrenia, and a young teenage girl coping with her life and coming of age in a broken but loving family

This excellent new and original graphic novel by the Canuck artist Von Allan, The Road To God Knows... is astoundingly poignant. And anyone familiar with my reviews knows that "poignant" is not a descriptive term I freely employ. But I was so thoroughly pulled into this story of young and gawky teenager Marie and her complicated relationship with her mother, Betty, that I read the work in one sitting and found myself thinking over its implications for a length of time afterwords. Such envelopment is for me, a true accomplishment.

The story opens with Marie and her mother returning home from the hospital, where the mother had just been discharged after a stay that concerned certain emotional problems. In true slice of life fashion, we learn so much about Marie's lonely world, stuck in the middle of her separated parents while failing to find acceptancel at school. Her salvation comes through her budding friendship with a neighbor girl, the two embarking on a money from-excessive-chores quest for the sole purpose of purchasing tickets to a rare but upcoming pro wrestling exhibition. Marie, awkwardly finding some levels of solace in the fandom hobby. Her interests in the pseudo-sport of professional wrestling, as well as in science fiction, all serve as distraction for the girl, desperate for an escape from the growing problematics of dealing with the psychologically damaged Betty. Betty means as well as any otherwise loving parent, but with the painfully realistic difficulties of struggling for control under the weight of Schizophrenia are seemingly beyond her own power, much less the coping abilities of her teenage daughter- who is already stuck in an embarrassing and frustrating age group. No easy solutions, and no outlets, beyond just silently going on.
This is indeed a very touching, very dramatic tale. Von Allan's dialogue is never at all unrealistic, and the everyday characters presented are fully-formed enough to cause the reader to wonder at what persons may have inspired such situational drama, such quietly desperate burdens. This is the kind of story that wonderfully, moodily, is all too real. Such a rich and honest portrayal of mental illness and the effects such can have on the many persons stuck in the tortured position of loving and/or living with the inflicted.
And the art is absolutely as effective, from smart page constructions sporting fluid faces and gestures to an appropriate pacing that intuitively slows down the camera whenever a forced introspection is dutifully beckoned from the story itself. This movie is shot in real time, with all of the world of nuances that the unbiased camera is always eager and willing to capture, beit for the amusement or judgment, of others. while the overall narrative is a sea of calm before the storm sensation, the few moments of violent action are called into vivid imagining with all the more clarity. And shock, like with ripples in the stillness of waters.

A fantastic and self-aware work, I am thankful in my own way to have come across it. Available through Von Allan's website as a free, downloadable pdf copy, as well as through the Amazons, I advise against going for the computer screen version alone however, as digesting a wholeheartedly brilliant book such as this will fully compel you to want to support the work more viscerally.
Most definitely one of the finest graphic novels of the year, I think.

After reading " The Road to God Knows..." I am happy to say, I was compelled by the story and its core subjects. In many ways this story relates to my upbringing living between two households and dealing with loving/distressed parents and relatives. The art work in Von's novel expresses the mood of the plot and I enjoyed the friendship of Marie and Kelly with their love of wrestling. Any teen going through that age of being an outcast or trying to cope with responsibilities beyond their handling should pick up this book. It teaches you to deal with responsibilities but at the same time, be a teen and go out to have fun as any teen should. Every artist has their own style and Von is one of them. I hope he continues making more graphic novels in the future.

Marie is a teen-aged geek girl coping with the usual stresses of early adolescence as well as her mother's increasingly severe and frightening schizophrenia. Marie copes by following pro wrestling - and a rare live event in her hometown gives her a goal. How she works toward that goal, and her relationships with her mother, father, and best friend Kelly are the basis of this graphic novel. Details make it clear that this is set in the mid to late 80s - Randy Savage is top of the WWF heap, Next Generation is the current incarnation of Trek - but the story is timeless. I liked the realism - people don't have much money, furniture is old and ratty, single moms work long hours. Even with good intentions, the adults in this book are often inept and occasionally unkind. Other teenagers exhibit feral ferocity in singling out the vulnerable for ridicule. I don't want to make it sound like this is a downer of a book. Marie is as spunky and resourceful as they come. She has a true friend in Kelly and her parents aren't unloving, just troubled or clueless. There are no huge revelations or happy endings tied up with a bow, but there is hope.

The drawings added to the story, although I will admit the proportions seemed off in a couple of frames. The bleakness of poverty comes through the sparsely furnished rooms with cracked plaster and peeling wallpaper. But Marie's determination and spunk also come through, as well as her confusion and heartbreak. A frame of Marie's empty schooldesk is an eloquent statement of the effect of her mother's illness. I teach mental health nursing and I can't think of a better way to show my students how schizophrenia affects the entire family than to give them this book. I look forward to future titles from Mr. Allan.

Great, great artwork, awesomely provoking and well "designed" story line.
I do recommend "The road to god knows ... "

I enjoyed reading this graphic novel, although it was not the of the quality I expected. Some of the artwork was sub-par, and looked awkward and unusual. Some of the implied emotions did not match the drawn facial expressions, and there are some problems with perspective. And although the story is good, it doesn't seem long enough because it leaves too many unanswered questions. We see that her parents are separated/divorced, but it doesn't explain why. It also doesn't explain what childhood experience was tormenting her mother, something that seems to spark many psychotic episodes. Overall, the graphic novel is good, but not as great as the subject matter could allow it to be.

The teenage years are hard, and having a schizophrenic mother does not help that. "The Road to God Knows..." is the coming of age story of one Marie, a teenage girl faced with her single mother's increasingly complex schizophrenia. Forced to grow up before her time, she learns many important lessons. "The Road to God Knows..." is an intriguing and touching graphic novel with a unique art style, highly recommended.