I recently received this book as a reward for backing its Kickstarter campaign. Clutter is a frank and enlightening look at one person's coping mechanisms for dealing with sexual assault. It is a thoughtful and moving account of how trauma affected her life, as she went through a few ordeals as a young girl, and all her attempts to tamp them down were for naught.
I appreciated the honesty and candor put on the pages here, and it is hopeful to see how she eventually learned to deal with trauma through a combination of methods, including therapy and mindfulness exercises. I know that the statistics on sexual assault for females are pretty horrific, and having a text like this that can be a beacon to those who might not want to broach what is largely a taboo topic. It could be a great resource for someone who is suffering in silence, and I feel it could also be helpful to those who might know someone who experiences sexual violence, as it provides insights into relationships and how one might try to be an ally.
Given the subject matter, there is much in this book that can be difficult to read, but I feel that the colorful, attractive artwork makes the text more approachable. That, combined with the format, which is broken up into shorter episodes and comic strip-like formatting in places, creates an inviting structure that puts a sense of order on the "scatter-brained" reflections. This book might not be for everyone, but I feel that it is an important one for its audience.
Clutter is the creation of Ariel Bordeaux, and an earlier version of it served as her senior thesis at the Center For Cartoon Studies. This version is expanded and contains an epilogue and copious footnotes. Bordeaux is known for her auto-biographical comics especially, the mini-comics series Deep Girl, as well as other works such as the comics series Raisin Pie. She speaks about her art and career in this interview.
I was not able to find any reviews of this book online, which is a shame because I feel it deserves much more attention. It currently has a 4.33 (out of 5) star rating on Goodreads.
Clutter was published by Fieldmouse Press, and they offer a preview and more info about it here.
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