Fe – A Traumatized Son’s Graphic Memoir

by Kevin Wolf

While on a recent vacation to Denver Colorado, I read Fe – A Traumatized Son’s Graphic Memoir by Bren Bataclan). I checked it out from the local library. The editor of this review asked me “How old were Fe and her son when they immigrated?” It’s a good question, but unfortunately, I can’t recall (except that the timeline covers the author’s childhood in the Philippines into adulthood in the United States). This book isn’t available in my local library system, so I can’t readily answer that question. In this review, “Bren” will be the author’s, Bataclan’s, character in Fe. This memoir shows a dysfunctional family with the author unable to connect well with his mother, Fe. Fe had had a privileged childhood and was always called beautiful and doted on. As an adult, Fe loses that privileged status when she moves from the Philippines to California in the United States. Her and her son’s relationship is aggravated by the trauma of displacement and cultural differences between her and Bren’s easier acclimation. As advertised on the back cover, Fe is “a tantrum-prone, narcissistic, hoarder mom.” This book could be used as an immigrant’s story, about generational upbringing causing conflicts and trauma, or by medical providers to learn about immigration acclimation, hoarding, and its impact on the next generation. I recommend this book.

Fe has a lot of humor with rudimentary drawings made up of stick-figure arms and legs with rectangular bodies and drawn round heads (except Fe’s) and little background imagery. Fe is always shown with an expressive photograph for her head (see cover for example), while the rest of her body is similar to the stick drawings of everyone else. Fe, while in the Philippines during her childhood had been doted on by her parents and called beautiful who could afford to have household helpers. Fe seemingly took this support as always expected which became a serious problem when her family immigrated to the United States and her circumstances made that unaffordable. She took to creating “piles” of clothes and other stuff (including bags of chips, newspapers, etc.) throughout her home. We learn many Tagalog words and phrases (with a translation at the back of the book).

At times Fe has temper tantrums, crying and locking herself in her room. She even threatens suicide (but never attempted) a few times, seemingly to try manipulating the rest of the family. All of this is balanced with Bataclan’s humor and eventual acceptance of his mother’s actions partly due to their understanding her privileged youth. It didn’t hurt that Fe readily accepted Bataclan being gay and their future husband.

Toward the end of Fe, we see all Fe’s children struggle with having to move her into an assisted living facility. Fe refuses to do any packing or have her children help with deciding what to take and what to leave from her “piles.” Since her house was sold, there was a hard deadline for her to move out. At the last-minute Fe accepts her children packing and the move only to start her piles anew in her new smaller quarters.

Bataclan provides a realistic story about caring for a troubled parent.