Relish By Lucy Knisley - Book Review

Jughead is no longer the only food-loving comic kid in town. Now there's Lucy Knisley.

Knisley is the author and star of Relish ($12.50), a graphic novel that is equal parts memoir, cookbook and art book. Her quirkily rendered drawings tell a story of life, family, travel, coming of age and, most of all, food, with gorgeously illustrated recipes bookending each chapter.

The child of food-loving parents, Knisley chronicles her life through eating, from her mother's stint working at the Dean & Deluca cheese counter to hunting mushrooms in Rhinebeck, New York, and discovering Mexican street food as a teenager.

Through descriptions of chocolate chip cookies and homemade sushi, Knisley shares her memories of growing up on a farm, going to art school and her parents' divorce.

Relish fulfills the lighthearted whimsy that its comic-book format is known for, but still manages to tackle the complicated and emotionally fraught issues of growing up and finding oneself–a challenging balance to strike, and one Knisley does with aplomb.

Finally, a comic book perfectly suited to reading over Sunday breakfast.