The Impostor's Daughter by Laurie Sandell

Most of the books I review are borrowed from the Edmonton Public Library. Sometimes I blog about books that I purchase (my favourite bookstores are Audrey's and Greenwoods). This is the first time I've written about a book that I got free from a publisher (Hachette) and it is thanks to a give-away offer on Avis' delightful She Reads and Reads blog. I was really excited to get it in the mail, but I'm not sure that I'll want more review copies. Feeling obliged to review a book in "payment" for a free copy does not sit well with me - even though I enjoyed reading it.

Laurie Sandell is a journalist who has interviewed a great number of celebrities. Her most intriguing subject, however, is her own father. He had immigrated from Argentina to the U.S.A. as a young man. He enthralled his children with amazing stories about his life experiences before his job as an economics professor. Sandell idolized her father, but as she grew older, she began to wonder about his stories and his very odd quirks. In her search for truth, Sandell uncovered shocking secrets about her family and also realized the extent of her father's mental illness.

Sandell's graphic novel style reminded me of two other full-colour memoirs: At a Crossroads by Kate Williamson and Cancer Vixen by Marisa Acocella Marchetto. Another readalike - with a similar quest by a daughter to understand her father - is You'll Never Know by Carol Tyler. The Impostor's Daughter is a compelling coming-of-age story.