Will I love The Weight?

This graphic novel is heavy. That's not a pun. It's an acknowledgement that the title fits. The Weight deals with the heavy issues that many people would prefer to sweep under the rug.

Graphic novels hit different. A prose novel leaves it to you to imagine what a scene looks like, while a well-formed graphic tale sucks you right in. Mendes' spare art style and powerful scripting will make you feel and think and I promise you'll still be feeling this one days later.

The Weight is a graphic novel/memoir based on the life of Melissa Mendes' grandfather, immersing you in the poverty, fear, and violence of the American dustbowl through the eyes of a young girl. It's a daring approach for a comic, the experience overall is gutting, and Mendes' drawing style is evocative and smart. Simple linework and washes convey the humanity of her characters, even as they enact monstrous historic roles.