I am so glad Maus was one of the first graphic novels that I read because it made me truly appreciate the art work.The thing with most of the holocaust stories is that they are always very impersonal (except maybe Anne Frank).I could never relate to those thousands of faceless victims, but in this book the visual illustrations are so accurate and intimate that I felt as if I was right there in Poland witnessing all the events-the black market trade, the gas chamber executions, the freight trains.

I loved how Spiegelman has added so many layers to this story-the horrors of the holocaust, complicated dynamics of a father-son relationship,the after-effects of holocaust faced by the children of the survivors. The protagonist’s survival tale can be summed up in one sentence (which I feel is the most powerful dialogue of the book)- “To die, its easy. But you have to struggle for life”.

This book can surprise you even if you have read a  plethora of holocaust novels and if you haven’t ,then there is no better place to start.