I adored this book. Full disclosure, I was primed to love The Fire Never Goes Out. Noelle Stevenson wrote one of my favourite graphic novels of all time and produced one of the best TV shows I've ever watched. It came as no shock that her memoir would be something I would enjoy. But, I still am in awe of how much their words resonated with me.

In The Fire Never Goes Out Stevenson recalls the past nine years of her life through a combination of year-end reviews and short graphic interludes reflecting on notable aspects of her life in each year. This memoir was gorgeous and perfectly captured the insecurity and instability of being in your early twenties. It wonderfully depicted the sort of coming of age new adults go through as they transition from high school to college and eventually full adulthood.

I will warn their writing style is often very ephemeral and flowery. Stevenson is fond of metaphor and imagery, especially when describing their mental health struggles and insecurities. I found an honesty to their writing that made their words gripping and evocative, but, I can see how this style may alienate some people.

Stevenson's experiences came to life on the page. This is due to their writing as well as the graphic element of the memoir. Stevenson's sketch-like cartoony style perfectly conveyed their personality throughout. The balance of illustration and text felt perfect for exploring their life. I especially connected with Stevenson's struggles with connecting to others and how that related to their coming to terms with their sexuality. There was something so reassuring in reading about someone who took years to unpack their identity and discover who they were.

Their struggles with mental illness and the toll that took on their health, both mental and physical were also so impactful. I can only speak to this as someone who only experiences with mental illness are stress-induced anxiety and a minor undiagnosed bout of depression, but I found the ways Stevenson addressed how serious clinical mental illness felt powerful and evocative. I'm being intentionally vague here because Stevenson never discloses exactly what their diagnosis is but despite that they still manage to take the reader on a true journey of understanding and the impact untreated disease has. Their emphasis on the freedom-seeking help, medication, and therapy has on a person was moving.

While this memoir ruminated on heavy themes it never felt heavy. There were frequent moments of levity peppered throughout. The joy of Stevenson finding a life partner, gaining traction in her career and finding community through fandom was just as impactful as The Fire never Goes Out's more sombre moments. While Stevenson's art style was well-utilized when conveying the dark aspects of their life I do think the quirky comic style was helpful if grounding the book in a gentle energy that kept it from becoming too morose.

This book, in encompassing almost a decade of living, contains too much to fully address in a singular review, but know it touched me deeply and was a fantastic read. I've come to find I love reading memoirs by creatives I know and respect. Getting an insight into the life of someone who created art that emotionally impacted me was a wonderful experience and The Fire Never Goes out solidified my love of Noelle Stevenson's work.