Merrill Markoe

We Saw Scenery: The Early Diaries of Merrill Markoe is a hilarious and poignant graphic memoir. The situations, while specific to her and the era, will still be relatable to any adult reflecting on their own youth.

I am just a tad younger than her so I could relate fairly well to a lot of what she went through. In addition to the basic idea that as children and adolescents we blow everything out of proportion, it was also fun to remember the big differences in life then versus now. For show more instance, without even commenting directly on the current trend of putting every detail of one's life on social media, she still makes the comparison when she emphasizes the need for a key to protect her very private diaries. The very same type of information used nowadays to get followers and likes. Is it any wonder that people are so fragile today? What could break us if even a portion got out years ago is now broadcast on various forms of toxic social media, then people are surprised when the cruelty starts.

But I digress. Markoe really makes this a fun trip even through the painful parts, and when she speaks with her younger self the banter is just about what one would expect. Those were perhaps my favorite parts of the book.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via Edelweiss. show less

Walking in Circles Before Lying Down
by Merrill Markoe

Clever story about Dawn Tarnauer, a twice-divorced Californian who can't seem to catch a break, either in life or love. She has terrible instincts and judgment about people, stemming from being surrounded by narcissists her whole life. Her sister, Halley, is the same in that she has a strange history of picking the wrong men, including an infamous killer, whom she is sure is being framed. To know Halley for any length of time was to know show more that she had a sociopath tracking device where her heart was supposed to be. Dawn is surrounded by users, including those she should be able to rely on the most. It is full of so many examples of selfish and insensitive behavior by her parents and her sister, among others, that you start to feel the craziness she goes through. There is no dealing with people like this. Resistance is futile.

In the midst of her despair after yet another relationship has ended, she finds herself having one-sided conversations with her dog, Chuck. He is the only being she feels comfortable with. She talks to him and vents her frustrations about life until one day he talks back and tries to convince her to let him help her make better decisions by using the years of instinctive skill he can provide. She's sure she's losing her mind but over time just goes with it as she realizes she can hear other dogs as well and can communicate with all of them. The author's imagination about their thought processes and her vision of their voices and personalities is pretty funny.

There is a running joke throughout the book about how aspiring writers should follow certain rules, including using visual statements that grab the readers' attention. The joke is well-done as it pops up at perfect moments. That being said, the author followed that rule in a stupendous fashion, as there are certain moments that are so well written--the comic timing and/or imagery produced is really excellent.

It was in the middle of an acid rain of unsolicited advice from Halley that I met my second husband, Jake.

Right behind her was a guy who looked like one of the tousle-haired "Alive with Pleasure" people from the Newport cigarette billboards. He was tall, square-jawed, ready to put on a pair of Dockers and laugh heartily at the innocent pleasures of a sprinkler in summer with his shirtless buds from Abercrombie & Fitch.

(Dad:) "I thought things were going good." (Dawn:) "That's the kiss of death," I said. "The only way to make love last is to want it over."

Relationship advice from her Peter Pan rockabilly dad:

"But as you get older, come to find out the best things in life are quick. It took a few decades, but I finally achieved my life's goal of combining marital bliss with a one-night stand."

And finally, thoughts from someone she'll discover is actually good to know and shows promise. (Dawn:) "Does anybody have a family that functions like a family?" (Friend:) "I think so, but my theory is that the 'good family people' hang out with other 'good family people'. Those of us born into the nutcase class seek representatives of our caste to make us feel normal." Truth.

My thoughts are that this is a story that is cute but not cutesy. It is lighthearted and humorous but also has heavier undertones. It links the fictional characters with celebrities famous or infamous that we actually know about in real life in a funny way (even when referencing real-life tragedies). It also covers heavier matters of dealing with toxic people, struggling with depression, and with the unease of being temporarily jobless or homeless. Those darker moments are lightened up with the humor of the conversations with the dogs and hearing them explain why they do some of the things they do, being reminded of the silly antics of puppies and the boundless joy of happy dogs, and the eventual hope that Dawn is finally getting her life on track. show less

I’m a dog person, so it’s really no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed Walking In Circles Before Lying Down by Merrill Markoe. I was admittedly surprised by how well the premise – a woman who has been dumped by her boyfriend is suddenly able to understand what her dog is thinking – worked out.

After Dawn’s boyfriend leaves her to pursue a job in another city, she’s stunned to hear her pit bull, Chuck, consoling her. While at first she thinks she may be crazy, she comes to accept show more the voice she’s hearing -– which also makes her job a little more interesting, because Dawn works at a dog day care facility, and she can understand all of those dogs, too. Chuck offers his sometimes questionable -– he is a dog, after all -- guidance as Dawn attempts to survive her over-helpful sister, her ridiculous mother, the loss of her job, and the return of her sketchy ex-boyfriend.

As someone who talks to my dog on a regular basis -– and, okay, as someone who has been known to ‘speak’ for her dog more than I’d like to admit -– I got such a kick out of this book. Dawn’s story is told in a stream-of-consciousness, rambly, tangential fashion that could easily have been the most annoying aspect of the book, but Markoe pulled it off wonderfully. (It’s also possibly that I loved this style so much because I tend to tell stories in the same rambly-type fashion.) And Chuck is one fantastic little canine character. Highly recommended if you're a dog lover or just looking for a fun little read. I'll certainly be looking for more of Merrill Markoe's work. show less

There may be many (emphasis on "man") people who won't find anything charming or profound in found diaries from 1960s middle school girlhood. If so, bye. But if you relished Alison Bechdel's Fun Home memoir, here's another for you. This graphic novel is so honest and unique that it's a perfect read for any woman, girl, or even grandmother - we have all lived through these times, even if not in the same country or with the same hostile parents and miserable sibling. If you don’t see show more yourself in Merrill, then you could be her mom or her ever-changing best friends or someone who thought her life would truly begin once she moved from Miami to golden San Francisco (where the adolescent problems persisted but just in a cooler setting). Markoe's sometimes disturbing illustrations, her adult perspective on her diaries and on the seemingly unique circumstances of her upbringing - probably more common that she could know at the time - create a remarkable and unsettling reading experience. show less