"Stitches: A Memoir” is a true statement of a child’s life in a house where love was not the most important feeling. The graphic novel written by awarding author David Small opens his child/teenager memories to us and presented his house, hostile environment and the diversity of his family characteristics. David’s family was composed by his mother, Betty, a housewife; Ed, the father-doctor and David’s older brother Ted, the drummer. During the narrative of the book we are introduced to some to some of his relatives, Grandma Murphy and her husband Papa John, also to some of David’s father's friends and to David’s childhood crush and also his mom’s best friend, Mrs. Dillon. Later in the book we will recognize in the character The Rabbit (a phycologist), one of the David’s key people who helped him to go through his memories and feelings to sort out and change his life to a better outcome.
The narrative followed by David’s illustrations shows an intricate but vivid and painful memory of a child/teenager. How his mother, Betty influenced his life in a way that he could
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David’s stated: “Around that time dad must have gotten a promotion or a raise. The lump in my neck had to wait while he took mother on a shopping spree.” (137). The shopping spree was followed by the discovery of David’s lump, but just three and a half years after the first doctor’s visit David’s “sebaceous cyst” was taken care of and he went to a surgery. The unexpected outcome of this surgery was not good news. David had cancer, which he did not know at the time and he could not understand why she was caring and compassionate towards him in the Hospital after the surgery, she even gives him back the forbidden book, “Lolita”, as David’s wish.