My Friend Dahmer
...below is a review I had written on Goodreads awhile back. I happen to update my profile on this site fairly regularly (I have A LOT of free time apparently) and upon reading this, I thought I would share my thoughts here as well. Essentially, there is no reason other than the following book was so memorable to me. It is one of the titles I feel necessary to shout from the rooftops. The book is "My Friend Dahmer" by Derf Backderf and the title is as it seems. It's a strange story that gets very dark and shows a truly troubled human through a different lens. It is a book that intimidated me a bit because I remember the time when these events occurred. I can only imagine how much more uncomfortable the news was to those who had known him. I cannot recommend it enough.
This book was a lot in what seems like only a little bit. What I mean is that it's a sizable package that can be read in a surprisingly short time span, even as graphic fiction. Tonally, it is deep, complex, disturbing, sad and hard to put down. It is also deceptive in that even with the title being what it is, the artwork has a friendly vibe to it that sees the cracks growing ever larger with each turn of the page. By the end, it can feel like a pile of broken glass.
Essentially, this is the story of Jeffrey Dahmer before he became the Dahmer of legend, told from the perspective of someone who knew him up close. The author gives the reader a glimpse into the formative years of likely the most famous serial killer of the 20th century and it opened up a flurry of emotions in me. I was repulsed from multiple angles. There were moments I was reticent to turn the page. There were sad moments and a few that were uncomfortably humorous. Overall, this asks the reader "How does one make human that which is not?".
I won't begin to tell anyone how they will react to this book because I honestly feel each individual who delves will come away differently. For me, it felt as if there were key points in Dahmer's life where someone should have been cognizant enough to notice something was wrong. There are moments where I felt as if Dahmer was beyond help of any kind. There were times that I felt the blame was the responsibility of others. My thoughts and opinions changed as quickly as I turned the page.
I highly recommend this book while also noting that it might not be for everyone. It is not anywhere near as graphic as one might anticipate on any level, but the vibe of unease permeates throughout. The timeline in the epilogue portion is handily the most disturbing as it goes through more detail of what was to come. Jeffrey Dahmer was a monster, no doubt in my mind. That said, this book might give the reader a glimpse into the man when he still had human qualities. A truly sad, complex and horrifying story that is worth the time.
Essentially, this is the story of Jeffrey Dahmer before he became the Dahmer of legend, told from the perspective of someone who knew him up close. The author gives the reader a glimpse into the formative years of likely the most famous serial killer of the 20th century and it opened up a flurry of emotions in me. I was repulsed from multiple angles. There were moments I was reticent to turn the page. There were sad moments and a few that were uncomfortably humorous. Overall, this asks the reader "How does one make human that which is not?".
I won't begin to tell anyone how they will react to this book because I honestly feel each individual who delves will come away differently. For me, it felt as if there were key points in Dahmer's life where someone should have been cognizant enough to notice something was wrong. There are moments where I felt as if Dahmer was beyond help of any kind. There were times that I felt the blame was the responsibility of others. My thoughts and opinions changed as quickly as I turned the page.
I highly recommend this book while also noting that it might not be for everyone. It is not anywhere near as graphic as one might anticipate on any level, but the vibe of unease permeates throughout. The timeline in the epilogue portion is handily the most disturbing as it goes through more detail of what was to come. Jeffrey Dahmer was a monster, no doubt in my mind. That said, this book might give the reader a glimpse into the man when he still had human qualities. A truly sad, complex and horrifying story that is worth the time.
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