Kill My Mother by Jules Feiffer
This graphic novel is told in two parts. The first part is in 1933 and Annie's father, a police officer was killed recently. Her mother, Elsie, went to work for Neil Hammond, her father's best friend a private detective in the hopes that he would find her husband's killer. Neil is often drunk and keeps making passes at Elsie. He seems to think that her husband Sam's honesty in a corrupt police force was the reason behind his death, and doesn't seem interested in investigating. He is interested in finding a woman a new client, who he learns is the wife of a prizefighter, has asked him to find, and his ethics don't question the instructions to kill the woman when he finds her. Unfortunately for him, things don't go as planned.
Annie is resentful that he mother isn't home to look after her, and rebels in as many ways as she can. Her boyfriend Artie is a reluctant companion to these escapades and Annie is constantly bossing him around.
The second part takes place in 1943. Annie is a single mom, looking for a way to be successful in Hollywood. Elsie runs a security and media agency in Hollywood, and has just taken on a new star. The prizefighter is trying to make a career in Hollywood as well, but is still looking to his wife for support and to make things easier for him. All these characters converge on a small Pacific island to do a USO production for the troops. Annie's boyfriend Artie is now an officer and in charge of the troops here. With many of the characters having their own reasons for being there unrelated to USO event, and with the island still held only partially things get out of hand and tragedy comes to many.
I liked this story, the difficult mother-daughter relationships, and the drawing. A good plot, interesting without being predictable.
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