Take the Long Way Home by Jon Claytor

        There seems to be an increasing canon of autobiographical works presented as graphic novels, and Jon Claytor has now added his own entry with the Take the Long Way Home, a story about traveling across the country and back for an artist’s retreat.

The art style is more or less sketchy and unfleshed out in a free and breezy way with some special attention played to the natural world and the view from the dashboard. It’s pretty inviting. The story, also, is pretty sketchy. It’s a series of vignettes that does not really have much of a consistent build towards a climax. It’s a road trip where we stop in various cities, check in with families members and friends, and then move on. The main dramatic tension of the text is Claytor’s struggles with alcoholism and the moments that he thinks he might take a drink or dreams that he has.

As a result, the book is more like a series of loose threads handled with an engaging style but also tact. For instance, Claytor finds out that he has a long lost brother that he has never met; his kids are extremely invested in finding him—but that’s, maybe, the subject of another book. Similarly, he finds out about his parents and a number of “characters” have wild backstories, but he suggests it is not his story to tell.

There’s a kind of beautiful tenderness to the book that is worth noting. Early on, Claytor recounts his challenges with alcoholism and attempted suicide and it gives the pages that follow a heartbreaking kind of quality. The book is, on the whole, pretty uplifting. There are so many personal connections and the book works as a celebration and gift for those special relationships in his life. If there is a climax, I would make the case that it is as Claytor returns home and reflects on the people he has learned from, spread out over six pages with four portraits each interspersed with thoughts from the drive.

The personable nature of the book is really endearing. The phone calls home have a special sincerity and a clear appreciation for quiet moments. In one scene, Claytor calls his children from Kamloops. He calls his children “turkeys” and they call him “pops” and they are “reading about zombies.” Meanwhile, the family dog has a thought bubble as he sleeps that says “I’m a happy dog” (199). It’s really cute, but one of the best things about it is that when he calls he just listened to them turn pages.

I also really liked the interactions between animals that he imagines. There’s a sequence with wolves where one of them confesses to the other that he tried to be a badass lone wolf but the truth is that he’d rather spend time together. It’s a beautiful exchange: “You and me? Together?” / “Forever!” and then a full-page illustration that has the two wolves side by side with the caption, “Now, let’s go fuck shit up! Like the badass wolves we are” (163). There are also interactions with birds, bears, and rabbits, which take on a symbolic significance, as well.

Overall, Take the Long Way Home is a lovely journey full of that introspection and sincerity of expression that makes up for the seeming deficit of plot. I liked it. It felt truly personal and a book built for connection.

Happy reading!