Book Review: SPECIAL EXITS by Joyce Farmer

The difference between comic and graphic novels is debated. I'm growing used to the phrase "graphic novel" though it used to make me cringe. Isn't that what we called pornographic novels? 

Regardless of the term, a graphic novel, or long comic, is a story told with drawings. But you can't speed through them the way you used to speed through Archie and Veronica. 

The drawings are dense and meaningful, performing the same task as descriptive passages in traditional novels. The subject can be quite serious.

Joyce Farmer's long-narrative comic, Special Exits, chronicles the final years of the lives of Lars and Rachel Drover, stand-ins for Farmer's own parents in this semi-autobiographical novel.

At a solid 200 pages, this is an intense read, both for the drawings and the subject matter.

Isolated in their south Los Angeles home, the Drovers leave the house only for groceries and medical appointments. In their home, they no longer even try to manage the events that surround them. 

Lars’ arms are covered with Band-Aids where the cat has scratched him. The garage door won’t close. The laundry isn’t done. 

In one early, explosive frame, set in a Sizzler Restaurant, Rachel cries, “If I could, I’d go live in a old folks home!” 

But they can’t, Lars explains. They would have to sell the house and their money might not last. They’d have to get rid of their beloved hobbies - her dolls and his rocks and books. The changes would be too big to manage - they’re stuck. 

They’re even more stuck when Lars, daydreaming of his youth, has an auto accident. 

Enter Laura, their daughter, stand-in for the author. Her parents don’t care to have strangers in their house and so Laura visits more and more often as the novel progresses, shopping, scheduling appointments, dealing with bureaucracy, and cleaning, always cleaning.

There’s nothing sentimental here. It’s not a spoiler to tell you that by the final pages, both parents have passed, and their final exits don’t come at home, in bed, surrounded by loved ones. 

The long comic genre is excellent for this story. The pictures are densely drawn and uncompromising in their portrayal of the accumulation of years of dust, cat hair, and stuff in the house, the garage, and the surrounding grounds. 

I would have liked more exploration of the relationship between Lars and Rachel. Rachel’s decline comes first and Lars takes patient care of her. We see brief episodes of anger, but nothing more. And how could we? This is ultimately Laura’s story. She is the hero. The elders are the conflict. It is an excellent story of taking care of your parents in their final years. It doesn’t pretend to be nor does it need to be anything else.

Maybe this is currently your story as you deal with aging parents. Someday, it may be your children's story. As for me, my parents died young. If this is my future, I wonder how I will get there. Is this your story? Is it your future? Please feel welcome to chime in with a comment.