Back (and Forth) in Time

Ever since I picked up Maus by Art Spiegelman, I have not been able to put it down. It is such a captivating novel whose graphic novel nature, I think, is the reason it's so captivating. Like Billy in Slaughterhouse-Five, Vladek (Art's father) has some trouble retelling his story. Unlike Billy, whose storyline is constantly interrupted by jagged time-travel and his musings with alien abduction and the idea of free will, Vladek has mostly full control over his memory. There are some spots that his son must remind him that he has skipped, but that can be expected from an elderly man. There are hints of PTSD in Vladek's story, he gets very emotional at some parts of his story thus far, but not to the extent of Billy in Slaughterhouse-Five. Even when it jumps from the past back to the present, the graphic novel aspect of Maus makes this sudden shift in time easy to follow. You see Vladek, probably on his stationary bike, and Art either on the floor or in a chair busy writing down Vladek's words or asking questions about the story. The shift in scenery from the 1930s/40s to the present day make Vladek's story (and interruptions) easy to follow. Though I enjoy both novels, I am greatly partial to Maus.  It is a much more personal story than Billy's. When Vladek is telling his story, I feel like I'm listening to my own grandfather tell me about the war. It's not like Billy's story where he's simply telling you the "facts" of what has happened to him during and after the war. Billy's story can be simply stated as, in Billy's own words, "So it goes". It simply happens; you really don't have any hope for Billy. But in Maus, you're rooting for Vladek. You feel the emotions he feels as you watch his story develop on each page, and you see what he saw. That what makes Maus so compelling and engaging.