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Daddy's Girl
by Debbie Drechsler
Originally published in 1995 and distributed only to comic book specialty stores, Daddy's Girl was ahead of its time - Drechsler's account of her abuse at the hands of her father, told from the point of view of an adolescent, is one of the most searingly honest, empathic, and profoundly disturbing uses of the comics medium in history. Drechsler's meticulous brush lines gather into heavy textures that suggest the claustrophobic tension of the environment that threatens her pre-teen and adolescent female protagonists. Characters such as Lily, who can't escape her father's abuse, and Franny, a girl whose desire to be accepted leads her into dangerous territory, struggle not to be visually and emotionally overwhelmed. Central to this quasi-memoir is Lily's relationship to her father - a confused jumble of fear, trepidation, and love.
Originally published in 1995 and distributed only to comic book specialty stores, Daddy's Girl was ahead of its time - Drechsler's account of her abuse at the hands of her father, told from the point of view of an adolescent, is one of the most searingly honest, empathic, and profoundly disturbing uses of the comics medium in history. Drechsler's meticulous brush lines gather into heavy textures that suggest the claustrophobic tension of the environment that threatens her pre-teen and adolescent female protagonists. Characters such as Lily, who can't escape her father's abuse, and Franny, a girl whose desire to be accepted leads her into dangerous territory, struggle not to be visually and emotionally overwhelmed. Central to this quasi-memoir is Lily's relationship to her father - a confused jumble of fear, trepidation, and love.
86 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
December 10, 2016
Powerful and heartbreaking...a young girl (Debbie) is molested by her father as she tries to deal all the other problems associated with growing up. The simplicity of the art helps convey the emotional trauma Debbie has to endure. A warning: the art is graphic. A powerful testimony to this often stigmatized subject.
August 30, 2012
Very disturbing narrative. Well written, poignant, but doesn't offer very many solutions to the issue at hand.
September 3, 2008
Daddy's Girl is a collection of short stories which deal with the frank subject matter of a girl's sexual abuse at the hands of her father. These individual stories - mostly centering around a young girl named Lily, though another follows a different young girl named Fran -- add up to create a fictionalized account of Drechsler's own experiences. Because the author has created these characters through which to tell her stories, it creates distance between the reader and the author which allows us to view the stories with a kind of emotional detachment. Yet each of these stories is still told intimately through first person narration, leaving the reader wondering where the line between truth and fiction lies.
The abuse in the stories is treated matter-of-factly, which makes it all the more shocking. The very first story of the collection, "Visitors in the Night," introduces us right away to this approach to the subject matter, as it begins with Lily and her sister Pearl in bed one night, arguing back and forth before they go to sleep. As they are drifting off, their father comes in to wake Lily up and undoes his robe. Before the reader even has time to process what is happening, the girl is forced to commit a sexual act for her father, and her reaction to what happens hints that this instance was not the first time her father molested her.
But the abuse itself is usually not central to the stories in this collection, which mainly deal with the girl's attempts to cope with this abuse. At various points throughout the book, she is left paralyzed on her bathroom floor after her father bursts in on her, she contemplates suicide to avoid having to deal with the situation ever again, and she begins laughing uncontrollably at one point while her father is molesting her, leading him to beat her.
These varied reactions to the abuse she is undergoing illustrate her fractured state of mind and the psychological damage done to her as a result of the continued molestation. In one story called "Marvin," Lily is less concerned with her father's abuse than she is with the fate of her dog, who tries to protect her from the abuse and is thrown across the room into the wall. In "Drummer Boy," Drechsler shows how abuse affects the other relationships in an adolescent's life, when Lily begins to fall for a boy at school but doesn't know how to react when the boy looks at her in a romantic way, because she equates that look with her father's sexual assaults.
Throughout each of these stories, Drechsler's art is thick with detail, both in the characters and in the backgrounds and scenery around them. The deep black line work criss-crosses every page heavily, filling every last corner of each panel with ink. These powerful brushstrokes add weight to the subject matter, making each image resound and seem more real to the reader.
The ominous darkness of the artwork makes each scene even more wrought with tension, so you feel as the main character feels, always waiting, when the father appears in a scene, for the other shoe to drop. The tension is particularly palpable in the only color story in the collection, "Constellations," when one of Lily's friends spends the night with her so they can look at the stars. The early scene with her friend's arrival is happy and bright, but as night falls the colors fade ever so slightly, and her father's presence looms forebodingly.
Daddy's Girl is not an easy read or a fun read. Its subject matter is as heavy and dark as the artwork, and the harsh reality found in its pages could make some readers uncomfortable. But it is a worthwhile read, for it portrays a subject that the author clearly feels strongly about so brilliantly and elegantly that readers cannot help but empathize.
The abuse in the stories is treated matter-of-factly, which makes it all the more shocking. The very first story of the collection, "Visitors in the Night," introduces us right away to this approach to the subject matter, as it begins with Lily and her sister Pearl in bed one night, arguing back and forth before they go to sleep. As they are drifting off, their father comes in to wake Lily up and undoes his robe. Before the reader even has time to process what is happening, the girl is forced to commit a sexual act for her father, and her reaction to what happens hints that this instance was not the first time her father molested her.
But the abuse itself is usually not central to the stories in this collection, which mainly deal with the girl's attempts to cope with this abuse. At various points throughout the book, she is left paralyzed on her bathroom floor after her father bursts in on her, she contemplates suicide to avoid having to deal with the situation ever again, and she begins laughing uncontrollably at one point while her father is molesting her, leading him to beat her.
These varied reactions to the abuse she is undergoing illustrate her fractured state of mind and the psychological damage done to her as a result of the continued molestation. In one story called "Marvin," Lily is less concerned with her father's abuse than she is with the fate of her dog, who tries to protect her from the abuse and is thrown across the room into the wall. In "Drummer Boy," Drechsler shows how abuse affects the other relationships in an adolescent's life, when Lily begins to fall for a boy at school but doesn't know how to react when the boy looks at her in a romantic way, because she equates that look with her father's sexual assaults.
Throughout each of these stories, Drechsler's art is thick with detail, both in the characters and in the backgrounds and scenery around them. The deep black line work criss-crosses every page heavily, filling every last corner of each panel with ink. These powerful brushstrokes add weight to the subject matter, making each image resound and seem more real to the reader.
The ominous darkness of the artwork makes each scene even more wrought with tension, so you feel as the main character feels, always waiting, when the father appears in a scene, for the other shoe to drop. The tension is particularly palpable in the only color story in the collection, "Constellations," when one of Lily's friends spends the night with her so they can look at the stars. The early scene with her friend's arrival is happy and bright, but as night falls the colors fade ever so slightly, and her father's presence looms forebodingly.
Daddy's Girl is not an easy read or a fun read. Its subject matter is as heavy and dark as the artwork, and the harsh reality found in its pages could make some readers uncomfortable. But it is a worthwhile read, for it portrays a subject that the author clearly feels strongly about so brilliantly and elegantly that readers cannot help but empathize.
December 21, 2018
Raw and uncomfortable, like a bitter Lynda Barry.
April 27, 2018
Διαβάζοντας το οπισθόφυλλο, ήμουν κάπως προετοιμασμένη γιαυτό που θα διάβαζα, αλλά ανοίγοντας το κόμικ και προχωρώντας σιγά σιγά, αυτό που διάβαζα και έβλεπα με συντάραζε. Ωμό, ρεαλιστικό και άμεσο, μου προκαλούσε ένα σφίξιμο στο στομάχι διαβάζοντάς το. Επίσης, τα ασπρόμαυρα, πυκνά σκίτσα της Drechsler νομίζω ήταν πάρα πολύ ταιριαστά με το περιεχόμενο του βιβλίου και σε έβαζαν ολοκληρωτικά στο σκληρό και κακοποιητικό κόσμο της.
Το μόνο αρνητικό για μένα, ήταν πως τελείωσαν κάπως απότομα οι ιστορίες. Θα ήθελα να είχα και μια εικόνα αυτών των κοριτσιών σε μεγαλύτερη ηλικία και να μάθω πως εξελίχθηκαν στη ζωή τους.
Το μόνο αρνητικό για μένα, ήταν πως τελείωσαν κάπως απότομα οι ιστορίες. Θα ήθελα να είχα και μια εικόνα αυτών των κοριτσιών σε μεγαλύτερη ηλικία και να μάθω πως εξελίχθηκαν στη ζωή τους.
September 24, 2010
Classifying this book as an "I really liked it!" is a little misleading and difficult to do because it feels somewhat dishonest. To be perfectly blunt, I did not like this book. I hated it. Reading it was terribly difficult and all the way from page 2 until the end I felt completely nauseous and almost had to vomit afterwards. But, sadly, that's what makes this book deserve those four stars.
Powerfully done, this collection of comics deals with the dark subject matter of continuing sexual abuse from her father from childhood through adolescence. The story and images flow surprisingly well and I found myself reading through much quicker than I thought, although that could be an innate need to dwell as little as possible within the world of Lily's life.
I recommend it to graphic novel readers, having read it in my Graphic Novel class, and think that it contributes greatly to the medium, using an almost surreal style to deal with a topic that can not be dealt with as reality by those characters within the situation. It's naive to shy away in sheer disgust (although it is human nature to do so), particularly because this is perhaps the best piece of literature I've encountered on the subject. However it isn't something I think I would ever reread.
Powerfully done, this collection of comics deals with the dark subject matter of continuing sexual abuse from her father from childhood through adolescence. The story and images flow surprisingly well and I found myself reading through much quicker than I thought, although that could be an innate need to dwell as little as possible within the world of Lily's life.
I recommend it to graphic novel readers, having read it in my Graphic Novel class, and think that it contributes greatly to the medium, using an almost surreal style to deal with a topic that can not be dealt with as reality by those characters within the situation. It's naive to shy away in sheer disgust (although it is human nature to do so), particularly because this is perhaps the best piece of literature I've encountered on the subject. However it isn't something I think I would ever reread.
August 31, 2025
Η υπόθεση έχει ως θέμα τη σεξουαλική κακοποίηση της δημιουργού από τον πατέρα της, δοσμένη από την οπτική μιας έφηβης. Σε στιλ ημερολογίου και σε διαφορετικά επεισόδια η Λίλη μας αφηγείται τη ζωή της στο περιθώριο της σχέσης της με τον πατέρα της και τον αντίκτυπο που αυτή έχει στη συμπεριφορά της προς τους άλλους. Καταφύγιο τόσο για την ηρωίδα όσο και για την Ντρέσλερ υπήρξε η τέχνη.
Υπάρχει, επίσης, μια άλλη ιστορία με παρόμοιο θέμα, και πρωταγωνίστρια ένα λίγο μεγαλύτερο κορίτσι, τη Φραν, που προκειμένου να νιώσει αποδεκτή, κάνει κακές παρέες.
Το σχέδιο, ασπρόμαυρο στο μεγαλύτερο μέρος του με αδρές γραμμές αποδίδει το σκοτάδι του θέματος.
Υπάρχει, επίσης, μια άλλη ιστορία με παρόμοιο θέμα, και πρωταγωνίστρια ένα λίγο μεγαλύτερο κορίτσι, τη Φραν, που προκειμένου να νιώσει αποδεκτή, κάνει κακές παρέες.
Το σχέδιο, ασπρόμαυρο στο μεγαλύτερο μέρος του με αδρές γραμμές αποδίδει το σκοτάδι του θέματος.
April 25, 2009
This was the first comic I read that made me cry. The book follows Lily, a young teen struggling with being a daughter, a sister, and horribly, a victim of incest. Based upon the author's own life, the book is so honest and sad and beautiful.
August 8, 2019
Todos los días, en todas partes y a todas horas.
August 12, 2012
Wow, lot of books titled Daddy's Girl. Anyway, very interesting, disturbing, and insightful graphic novel into the life of a girl who is sexually abused by her father. It's disgusting but neither exploitative nor artsy the way I imagine most movies would handle the subject matter. As a father who is by no means naive to the subject, it still made me think a great deal. How often does this happen? How would you know? Would your daughter even tell you if someone was sexually abusing her? Just a lot of questions as well as thoughts on talking to my own kids more directly about protecting their own boundaries, whether around family members or anyone else.
April 15, 2016
Daddy's Girl is a real gut punch. The first two or three scenes were so harrowing that I had to immediately look up how much of the narrative was autobiographical (it turns out, it's mostly fictional but the essence of it is truth). The thing that makes it stand out, however, is the child-like lens of the story and the confusion it presents. Drechsler's simple, almost primitive, art and drawing style gives the whole thing an interesting perspective despite sometimes being overwhelmingly bleak.
March 27, 2018
Very emotionally intense short stories about a girl's sexual abuse and emotional disconnect from her awful, obtuse parents. That it really happened makes the events absolutely horrific, and Dreschler pulls no punches showing how her relationships with friends, school and siblings were completed overwhelmed by the emotional turmoil she dealt with.
Powerful work.
Powerful work.
May 2, 2008
I love this piece. Also read Summer of Love by her as well. I wish she would write more...
August 7, 2014
The most disturbing thing I've ever read.
August 16, 2022
Brutal comic acerca de los abusos infantiles y violaciones que sufrió la autora, porque cuando creces como víctima se proyecta en todos los ámbitos de tu vida, vives en un estado de shock postraumático permanente.
December 11, 2022
Warning: dark and graphic images. Very raw story that makes you sick to your stomach. Was a bit confused by the last comic that seemed to be about a different person than all the others?
July 24, 2012
This graphic novel deals with the very touchy subject of incest and rape. The graphics make it a LITTLE easy to digest the subject, adding a childlike quality to it. You can sense the fear and complexity of Lily's situation (not wanting to hurt her mom with the truth and battling with her own self esteem) and you can understand the guilt of Franny's for having done nothing and placing the blame on herself because she didn't say no.
My heart was broken by the end of this book. I really wanted both of these young ladies to find closure and get the help they needed. I was angry with the dad and even more so with the mother, both mothers. I wanted Lily to get the help that she needed, but I also wanted her to stand up for herself when she got older, by having the courage to speak up and tell a teacher or even her mom.
I would recommend this as a teaching tool for young kids. Kids should know what sex is so that they understand that it is something they should speak out against and that it is not their fault when adults take advantage of them. I am not saying teach them how to have sex, so please do not send me hate mail. I am saying they should have a basic understanding of what sex is, i.e. that it is soemthing that occurs between two consenting adults and that if any adult or other kid touches them in their "no no" area, that they should tell a parent, teacher or officer. That they shouldn't be afraid to tell, because they didn't do anything wrong.
My heart was broken by the end of this book. I really wanted both of these young ladies to find closure and get the help they needed. I was angry with the dad and even more so with the mother, both mothers. I wanted Lily to get the help that she needed, but I also wanted her to stand up for herself when she got older, by having the courage to speak up and tell a teacher or even her mom.
I would recommend this as a teaching tool for young kids. Kids should know what sex is so that they understand that it is something they should speak out against and that it is not their fault when adults take advantage of them. I am not saying teach them how to have sex, so please do not send me hate mail. I am saying they should have a basic understanding of what sex is, i.e. that it is soemthing that occurs between two consenting adults and that if any adult or other kid touches them in their "no no" area, that they should tell a parent, teacher or officer. That they shouldn't be afraid to tell, because they didn't do anything wrong.
March 22, 2017
Even though I gave it a 4 I wouldn't say I "really liked it." This isn't the kind of book you "like," if that makes sense, because it deals with some really hard stuff. The pictures get graphic at some points (no pun intended) so I would not recommend this for anyone under say 16 or 17 at the youngest, unless they are a teen who has been through sexual abuse/incest/emotional abuse/bullying and the related themes in this book.
It was well done, with an original drawing style that brings to mind a child's or adolescent's view of what is happening to them.
Massive trigger warnings on this one, so if you have been through the things in this book and are not ready to read or in other ways begin to heal, I would not recommend this. If you are a counselor, doctor, or other related professional, consider this in your library for teens, young adults, and adults who are healing from these sorts of abuses and need literature that relates to their situation.
It was well done, with an original drawing style that brings to mind a child's or adolescent's view of what is happening to them.
Massive trigger warnings on this one, so if you have been through the things in this book and are not ready to read or in other ways begin to heal, I would not recommend this. If you are a counselor, doctor, or other related professional, consider this in your library for teens, young adults, and adults who are healing from these sorts of abuses and need literature that relates to their situation.
May 2, 2009
This was like a collection of short stories, the first set dealing with the character of Lily, and the latter with a character named Fran. There were strong themes of sexual abuse, including graphic depictions of the abuse taking place. The style of the art is reminiscent of the Expressionists--and her heavy lines and cluttered scenes definitely create a mood of anxiety. Most of the stories are in black and white, although there is one piece in color.
One thing that bothered me a bit was that I felt there was a lack of continuity within some of the episodes. Sometimes the narrative felt overly disjointed, to the point that I kept re-reading the same panels seeking a sense of closure.
One thing that bothered me a bit was that I felt there was a lack of continuity within some of the episodes. Sometimes the narrative felt overly disjointed, to the point that I kept re-reading the same panels seeking a sense of closure.
May 23, 2009
This graphic novel is not for the faint of heart. Some of the images will shock you with the explicit nature of child abuse. Daddy's Girl gives a realistic account of the psycholoogical impact of sexual abuse on those who are victims by depicting all images in black and white. All the artistic elements within the panels reflect the trauma of abuse by through distorted facial expresssions and body shapes and heavy cross-hatching and use of patterns in all backgrounds. There is so much more to say, but I already wrote like a 28 page research paper on all this and it's making my head heart!
December 6, 2024
Es muy fuerte este libro. Brutal. Ni siquiera sé cómo puntuarlo. Sólo escribiré aquí sobre otra reseña publicada acá, sobre cómo la forma que tiene Drechsler de contar su historia "no ofrece soluciones" al problema que enfrenta la personaje principal, es decir, la violación. Pero reducir el trauma y sus secuelas a algo que puede "solucionarse" para la persona que lo sufre, y que esto pueda hacerse a través de cualquier manifestación artística, resulta ingenuo, muy ingenuo. Este libro no ofrece soluciones, ofrece perspectiva, denuncia y visibiliza.
June 15, 2009
This is definitely a grim book - in the tradition of Allison Bechdel and Phoebe Gloekner it tells the story from the POV of an adolescent being sexually abused by her father. It's a sensitive book with sad an depressing adult figures. The illustrations are well done and convey the smothering atmosphere the girls grew up in.
September 15, 2012
"Daddy's Girl" is an incredibly disturbing yet powerful series of stories focused on troubled adolescent girls. The bulk of the book is given over to Lily, a confused adolescent, as she comes of age and experiences various traumas--the most serious of which is molestation by her father. Hers is a story that is, quite often, very difficult--but necessary--to read.
July 30, 2007
disturbingly creepy and great.
January 20, 2010
Incredibly disturbing.
December 11, 2014
The author's memoir of her abuse by her father. A very compelling read.
June 16, 2012
seriously depressing but wonderfully emotional and beautifully drawn.
April 22, 2013
Very very graphic. Brutally honest and well told.
February 2, 2015
Really well written. Very touching. You get sucked in to the world. But the world is very upsetting, scary, terryfing, upsetting. :'( Horrifying.
October 12, 2017
A devastating read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews