I knew from the first page of House Party that this graphic novel was going to speak to me. The book is about three post-grad 20 somethings who are disillusioned with the lives they’ve ended up with and are trying to regain their youth, and the happiness that came with it.
Rachael Smith, the book’s author and artist, said in an interview with We The Nerdy that the book is actually autobiographical, as she studied art in school and then ended up working at a coffee shop, despite her success at university (like the character Siobhan).
The first page introduces us to Michelle, who went to school to study creative writing and now has an unfulfilling job and doesn’t write at all. In other words, it’s about my life, and maybe the lives of every other person I know who went to university to study something they love, and then got a completely unrelated and often awful job. Clearly, this is a story that is going to resonate with a lot of people.
After a rough day at work for all three of our main characters, Michelle, Siobhan, and Neil are caught up looking at old party pictures and reminiscing about their college days, just two years earlier. They decide they should throw a house party to try to enliven their lives and regain some of their youthful happiness. They pull out all the stops, inviting the popular local band Helvetica (comprised of current university students) in order to draw a crowd. This is in spite of the fact that the lead singer, Georgia, has been bullying Michelle since before she graduated.
The party, as it generally happens, turns out to be a bust. People are wild, they trash the house, some of our main characters make terrible decisions, and in the morning, they have to deal with the aftermath. The plot isn’t very complicated, and the turn from rock bottom to “I’m going to make better decisions and change my life” happens a little too quickly and almost feels anti-climactic, but it’s not altogether unbelievable, especially since the main characters were already dealing with feelings of despondency before the story really begins.
House Party is an honest comic. The most dynamic theme in the story is about how our lives aren’t turning out how we expected them to, but it also evolves to show that often, the times we wish we could go back to weren’t necessarily what they seemed to be. Michelle and Neil are together, and in the first chapter when they are planning the party, Michelle has a flashback to a lovey-dovey Neil confessing his love for her. Later, after everything has gone south, Michelle remembers the scene a little differently and sees an absolutely plastered Neil drunkenly confessing his love for her. Sometimes, we like to romanticize the past.
Rachael does a good job of not wrapping things up too prettily at the end. She allows her characters, especially Michelle, to grow, but she makes a point to show that change takes hard work, and happiness isn’t going to come over night. By the end, the characters are rid of their unrealistic expectations of what their lives should be, and as a result, they’re no longer feeling as disillusioned.
Rachael has said that Kate Beaton, the brain behind Hark! A Vagrant is one of her influences, and that definitely shows. It has a webcomic feel to it, and it works really well with the story and the creative, casual dialogue. The cartoon quality and bold colors lighten the mood and prevent it from being too real.
It’s a simple story, but Rachael is able to pack a lot of feelings into less than 100 pages. This is definitely a book that should be added to any disillusioned 20 something’s reading list. It probably won’t lead to any life-changing realizations, but it’s good to have a reminder that there’s light at the end of the tunnel, and ultimately, if you want change you have to make it happen yourself.
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