Review: Ethel and Ernest

A touchingly written and lovingly drawn tale detailing the lives of the author's parents from first meeting to final breath.  

I'm going to begin by saying that I am already a big fan of Raymond Briggs, and instantly recognized these characters from his alternate history comic When the Wind Blows.  WtWB is set during the Cold War and focuses on an out-of-touch elderly couple who must weather Russia dropping a nuclear bomb on Great Britain.  These characters, though not named as such, are directly based on Brigg's parents, Ethel and Ernest themselves, and it shows.

For me, E&E took about 30 minutes total to read.  It has a fast pace, showing only the most important and telling details from the couple's life together.  From meeting, to marriage, to children, to war, to old age and beyond, each scene is depicted as a snapshot, few lasting more than one page, some limited to just one panel!  Despite the pace, it is obvious that Briggs poured time, emotion, and energy into each hand painted panel.  His sentiment in regard to the subject matter is palpable, but luckily does not interfere with the tone of the story, or cause it to become overly saccharine.  His mother, whose constant worrying over the family's image, status, and class dominates the  household, quickly becomes the center of the narrative.  His father plays more of a supportive role, his personality more relaxed and affable.  

Once again, I'm a sucker for a story which covers historical events from the point of view of the common man.  Ethel and Ernest's ascent from lowly maid and milkman to a life of comfort, and in their eyes, luxury, is fascinating, as is their misunderstandings of both politics and technology.  Ethel begins the story excited and gleeful about having an indoor bathroom, but throughout time becomes more fearful and distrusting of new technologies.  Meanwhile Ernest embraces each new gadget with gusto, though he rarely fully understands them.  Their opinions during WW2 form entirely based from weekly newscast causing them to make naive and uninformed observations about Hitler and later Russia.  

Ethel and Ernest ends as we all do, and Briggs writes the death of his parents with grace and power.  Their love and cohesiveness as a couple makes them seem solid, one entity instead of two.  It may take only 30 minutes to read, but I suggest you gather a tissue.