I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together by Maurice Vellekoop

To be an artist is to make yourself vulnerable and in this illustrated memoir I’m So Glad We Had This Time Together, Maurice Vellekoop does just that by bravely and openly sharing his life story.

The drawings are incredibly detailed and evocative, so it is no surprise to learn that as a child he was heavily influenced by Walt Disney. Maurice makes clever use of colour to fit various moods throughout the story and his use of the “angel” and “devil” over his shoulders is cleverly exercised to deepen the reader’s understanding of more complex emotions. You see the characters evolve throughout the story, and like the great Disney movies, there is a battle scene at the climax of the tale.

Maurice tells the story of his growth from a cartoon-obsessed child to a successful artist who finds himself making art in places like New York City and Paris. Although his Art dreams come true, there is sadness and longing as he struggles to accept his sexuality, find someone to love, and gain support from his strictly religious family. The journey Maurice takes is filled with obstacles and his description of depression and subsequent treatment was very candid, he even gives the reader a glimpse into some of his therapy sessions and the relationship he develops with his therapist becomes a special facet of the book. Thankfully, the story becomes a happier one when Maurice decides to properly look after his mental health.

Maurice touches on his family history and learns that there were reasons for his father’s complicated personality. With parents having passed away long ago and having to emigrate to Canada from Holland with a friend, perhaps these were wounds which never truly healed. There are touching moments of connection in the book with both Maurice’s mother and father with the most memorable being the trip to the theater to see Fantasia with his father.

The depiction of his early life gives the sense of a loving, boisterous household with a deep connection to their church community. The Barbies, Carol Burnette, and Planet of the Ape references remind you that this story happens in the 70s, a time when sexuality wasn’t openly discussed. The moment when he comes out to his father is both funny and poignant and in his unique way, his father lets him know he supports him.

The darker parts of the book brought tears to my eyes, powerful images of physical attacks and the aftermath that results are reminders that our world is still not a safe space for members of the GLBTQ2+ community. References to HIV and AIDs are made throughout the book and as there were limited treatments available at the time, anxiety must have been at an all-time high for the gay community.

Throughout the book, you follow the growth of Maurice both as an artist and as a gay man. Like most of us, he is looking for love from someone special, and approval from his parents. You also get to see the journey as his parents evolve from strict, religious people, to parents who love and accept him. In the end, this is a love story written about loving yourself enough to fight for the life that you deserve.

This book will make you laugh and cry and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Random House Canada (Feb. 27 2024)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 496 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1039010504
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1039010505

Dawn Mockler

Dawn is a multimedia artist best known for her cartoons drawn under the nom de plume, dawnymock. She was awarded the art award from Bathurst High School in 1984. She is a member of the Association of Canadian Cartoonists and CartoonStock.com. Her art has been included in Herné Bay Cartoon Fest, 1001 Visages in Val-David, Quebec, in Aislin’s book of favourite Covid cartoons, Vancouver Science World and in the Globe & Mail. Her art was exhibited at UNB's World Water Day. She has donated many drawings and paintings to local charities and school fundraisers. Her work is available on CartoonStock (dawnymock) and Twitter (@dawnymock). She lives in Fredericton, New Brunswick.