Focus on the family

Book

Dotter of Her Father’s Eyes

Mary M. Talbot is the daughter of a British scholar who spent his life studying James Joyce. Although she wasn’t nearly as damaged by her upbringing as Joyce’s daughter Lucia was, there are enough similarities to make this parallel graphic biography a compelling read. Talbot alternates between her own story and Lucia Joyce’s, with emphasis on the energy others expended to make them conform and the weight of responsibility. Talbot’s husband, artist Bryan Talbot, is the genius behind The Adventures of Luther Arkwright, and his drawings add depth and emotion to this tale of thwarted ambition and unmet emotional needs. Never believe the story of the solitary genius; there’s always someone else (usually an entire family) who bear the weight of the art.