Stuffed (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Stuffed Karen Coats Eichler, Glenn . Stuffed; illus. by Nick Bertozzi. First Second/Roaring Brook, 2009 124p. Paper ed. ISBN 978-1-59643-308-3 $17.99 R Gr. 10 up In this full-color graphic novel, protagonist Tim Johnston is working at his boring desk job when he gets the phone call saying that his father is dying. The old man is a pitiless piece of work, so there is little sorrow at his passing, but Tim is shocked to learn that his father had no other assets than his "museum," a collection of grotesqueries that tormented Tim and his estranged brother as children. Among these is a "savage," a statue of an African male in a loincloth holding a raised but broken spear. Determined to do the right thing, Tim attempts to place the statue in a museum, only to find that it is an actual taxidermied human. The curator tries to find the man's country of origin in order to return him, but then Tim's drugged-out brother has other ideas about what to do with the family inheritance. The realistic cartoon art completes the text in a nonintrusive way, emphasizing the dark emotions that surface throughout their ordeal with exaggerated clarity, staging dreams through color changes, and augmenting character development through hair and clothing style. Issues of intergenerational and racial guilt percolate below the surface and break through in tense moments, particularly when the white suburban Johnstons try to find common ground with the black curator and his wife, and when the Johnstons have to deal with their dissipated relative, making this an emotionally and ethically challenging text for teen readers. Likewise, the humor here is dark and fairly subtle even for adults; mature teen readers will have no trouble understanding the deep wit, but they may find that it not only hits their issues but also those of their older relatives who are trying to sort through their feelings toward abusive parents, childhood fears and prejudices, and adult siblings. [End Page 110] Copyright © 2009 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois