Passing for Human
Published on 20. September 2018
240 pages
978-1-4735-6621-7 (ISBN)
Description
**LONGLISTED FOR THE COMEDY WOMEN IN PRINT PRIZE 2020**
Melancholy and funny, personal and surreal, Passing for Human is a neurological coming-of-age story in which Liana Finck goes in search of that thing she has lost - her shadow, that part of her that has always felt as though she is living in exile from the world. On a quest for self-understanding and self-acceptance, along the way, she seeks to answer some eternal questions: What makes us whole? What parts of ourselves do we hide or ignore or chase away - because they're embarrassing, or inconvenient - and at what cost?
Part magical odyssey, part feminist creation myth, Passing for Human is most of all an extraordinary, moving meditation on what it means to be an artist and a woman.
Melancholy and funny, personal and surreal, Passing for Human is a neurological coming-of-age story in which Liana Finck goes in search of that thing she has lost - her shadow, that part of her that has always felt as though she is living in exile from the world. On a quest for self-understanding and self-acceptance, along the way, she seeks to answer some eternal questions: What makes us whole? What parts of ourselves do we hide or ignore or chase away - because they're embarrassing, or inconvenient - and at what cost?
Part magical odyssey, part feminist creation myth, Passing for Human is most of all an extraordinary, moving meditation on what it means to be an artist and a woman.
Reviews / Votes
It's impossible not to admire both [Finck's] ambition and the beautiful economy of her line drawings... There is a resonant truth at the heart of this book, and it soars above everything else. -- Rachel Cooke * Observer * Strangely compelling... gorgeous. -- Teddy Jamieson * Herald Scotland, **Books of the Year** * In its ambition, framing, and multiple layers, [Passing for Human] raises the bar for graphic narrative. Even fans of [Liana Finck's] work in the New Yorker will be blindsided by this outstanding book. * Kirkus Review * A beautiful, fictionalised memoir combines intelligence and appealingly scratchy artwork with serious soul-searching. * Guardian, 50 of the Biggest Books to Look Out For in Autumn 2018 * A sure hit for readers of graphic memoirs. * Booklist * Passing for Human is a bildungsroman of sorts, laying out all the decisive moments that have made Finck who she is now... simultaneously odd and precise. -- Sian Cain * Guardian * In this elegant graphic memoir of being the odd woman out... Finck's whimsy acts as a microscope to better understand family, romance, and isolation... Becoming human is a lifelong task-but Finck illustrates it with humor and panache. * Publishers Weekly * [A] compelling memoir...Passing for Human, proves creativity and mental health through a mix of frank self-analysis and rich, fable-like storytelling. It's a fine account of how the mind can soar even as doubt roars in the ears. -- James Smart * Guardian, **Books of the Year** *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Random House (Digital)
Product notice
Fixed format
File size
87,62 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-4735-6621-7 (9781473566217)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Liana Finck's work appears regularly in The New Yorker and on Catapult, and in her popular Instagram feed. She also has work forthcoming or previously published in The Paris Review, Slate, Harpers, The New York Review of Books, the LA Review of Books, The Awl, The New York Times, and elsewhere. She has been on contract with The New Yorker since 2015. Her first graphic novel, A Bintel Brief, was published by Ecco Press in 2014. She is the recipient of a Six Points Fellowship for Emerging Jewish Artists; a Fulbright Fellowship; a NYFA award in fiction and art residencies at MacDowell and Yaddo. Finck received a B.A. from Cooper Union. Her Instagram account currently has over 135,000 followers, a number which grows daily. Among her followers are Mark Ronson, Alanis Morisette, Ariana Grande, Dan Savage, Christoph Niemann, and Jenny Slate.
