ALISON: the making of an artist in splendid graphic novel form

As many people will tell you, life’s a journey of self-discovery. But not many people will tell you that a big part of that journey, is going backwards. Sometimes, we start walking down a path, figure out it’s not what we want, and have to be brave, walk backwards and start again. This is one of the many themes worked into Lizzy Stewart’s book Alison.

Alison is a graphic novel that tells and illustrates the life and development of Alison Porter, and her rocky and twisting path, going from bored housewife to conflicted model to respected artist. We also witness the relationships she forges: some friendly, some romantic, some very awkward, complex or simple.

Stewart does a wonderful job of detailing the struggles Alison faces, both through her writing and her illustrations. The author, too, has done something rather uncommon for graphic novels, presenting full pages of writing or neatly positioning paragraphs among the illustrations. This makes it feel as though we’re both witnessing Alison’s memories and being told them by Alison herself. As for the artwork, it’s plain and simple but depicts these events and characters splendidly.