Finished reading a second-hand hardback copy of “Imagine Wanting Only This” by Kristen Radtke. It’s a memoir that feels very intimate due to the graphic novel format. The novel is an unusual mix of art, myth, religion, travel & modern relationships.
Radtke talks of her emotional connection with an uncle who dies young to a genetic heart disease and of her own curiosity about unlocking the mysteries of the heart (biologically not romantically). At point, it feels like the author is just rambling about various phases of her life. Some pages feel like a travelogue, some pages feel like a diary, and then there are others that feel out of a strange film that banks on nostalgia.
The art work in the panels is not very striking and the digital strokes are oftentimes unimpressive. It reminded me of Mira Jacob’s ‘Good Talk’, although Radtke’s work was published in 2017, a year before Jacob’s memoir in the graphic novel format came out.
In the end, “Imagine Wanting Only This” is a rather offbeat book that might not appeal to the masses, but is worth picking up if you don’t mind a book that’s philosophical and filled with existential dread. Those who have lost a dear one would perhaps identify a lot with its content.