Cartoonist and stand-up comedian Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell intimately mines her complex relationship with what she can/wants to/will/attempts to eat in The Joy of Snacking: A Graphic Memoir About Food, Love & Family. What lingers longest is her wide-open vulnerability--guaranteed to invoke frustrated, sympathetic, concerned, laugh-out-loud, shocked reactions.
The Joy of Snacking opens in 2024, with Campbell brimming with nervous energy (peppered with plenty of f-bombs), in anticipation of an imminent significant event, and ends with exhilaration over the gloriously revealing experience. Snacks are (always) integral--this time, it's Cool Ranch Doritos grabbed last-minute from a nearby bodega. Over the almost 400 pages in between, Campbell traces decades of her personal history that culminate in her sparkling "slay"ing debut before a sold-out Manhattan audience.
"My truest self is... a 5-year-old," Campbell confesses, specifically referring to her eating habits: even into her 30s, grilled cheese cut diagonally and prepped for ketchup-dipping remains her go-to must-have. In childhood, she didn't have the words to explain she was "legitimately terrified of food." Body issues and disordered eating plagued her well into adulthood, by which time she didn't know the difference between "hungry or nauseous."
"Drawing has saved my life," Campbell declares. Her astute illustrations capture quotidian scenes, particularly involving food: confronting hunger, seeking satiety, planning meals, anticipating culinary outings. Her hand lettering add an inviting familiarity. She sublimely uses color, with black-and-white reserved for the most devastating moments she might rather mute. However, humor is never far, and in wholeheartedly embracing all the nuances of the "joy of snacking," Campbell commands the stage to finally "live my life the way that I want." --Terry Hong