The Crystal Vase

by Astrid Goldsmith

'Rich, moving and wryly funny... a delight' Observer *Graphic Novel of the Month*

'Brilliant, witty and endlessly inventive' Joe Dunthorne, author of Submarine

A road-trip across Europe and back in the debut graphic memoir from the prize-winning author of A Funeral In Freiburg.

When her imperious, chain-smoking German Jewish grandmother dies, it falls to Astrid and her father to drive a hire van to the Black Forest and collect the family heirlooms from Gisela's nicotine-stained apartment.

In Freiburg, they are faced with several lifetimes’ worth of belongings to sort through - infested Persian rugs, mysterious photographs, a toy monkey that started a marriage - and a grasping landlord, impatient to renovate.

As the list of demands from uncles, sisters and cousins grows longer, the rabbit-holes of history and memory grow deeper. Long-buried secrets and tales of survival are revealed - from Nazi Germany to colonial Africa - and old feuds are reignited, as father and daughter struggle with the responsibility of preserving the family legacy. More importantly, will they be able to fit everything into a medium wheel-base transit van?

Funny, bittersweet and beautifully drawn, The Crystal Vase is an odyssey of family arguments, identity crises, and late discoveries.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels

211 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 15, 2026

Reviews

[D'face · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully illustrated and written memoir looking at the consequences of the Holocaust on one Jewish family resulting in dispersal all over the globe and their lives thereafter. When a matriarch dies her family must clear out her apartment and distribute the belongings which brings out their respective character traits. The end piece on the fonts used was especially interesting.

[Pudsey Recommends · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Crystal Vase by Astrid Goldsmith is a gorgeous, gritty graphic novel that delivers an emotional punch with wit, intelligence, and devastating honesty. Structured in seven chapters that mirror the stages of grief shock, denial, anger, bargaining, depression, testing, and acceptance the book takes us deep into Goldsmith’s own family history, turning personal loss into something quietly universal.

At its heart, this is a meditation on grief, but also on the meaning of family and the long term consequences of compliance, silence, and the decision to look away from violence and injustice. Goldsmith handles these themes with real class. There is sharp humour throughout, but it never undercuts the respectfully raw emotional truth of the story.

The artwork is stunning and inventive. Goldsmith’s decision to work primarily in black and white, with a restrained use of cerulean toned blue, is incredibly effective. The colour punctures the page, accentuating key characters and moments with real emotional force.

Narratively, the book is beautifully controlled. Goldsmith guide me through time and place with tremendous clarity and efficiency, never letting the criss crossing storylines become confusing. The illustrated family tree at the outset grounds us, while the later use of maps and portraits deepen the sense of history and memory unfolding.

This is a novel I will return to again and again and one I will be pressing into friends’ hands at every opportunity.

Very grateful to Vintage, Penguin Random House, Jonathan Cape for my treasured copy.

#pudseyrecommends

[Emma Oldham · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterpiece in storytelling. I didn’t realise memoir graphic novels was a thing until I held this book in my hands. It was beautiful through and through.

This was such a stunning and accessible way to connect to ancestory - especially those who’ve had it hard, migrating from place to place for survival. Having to adapt, and adapt to fit in and become integrated and accepted. I’ve never considered how these issues press into the objects that surround our linage and how we handle these things when our loved ones pass on.

I’ve read this three times over, and all three times I could feel and taste the emotion on the pages and let myself lean into it all and feel the the greif, the love and the loss.

[Elle Reads Books Like]

This is a graphic memoir all about grief and generational trauma. I always find it hard to review memoirs as the stories are perhaps more personal to the writer; it feels like I’m reviewing their life. This had a simular vibe to Fun Home (without the lesbians) with its focus on hard parental relationships and grief and the illustration style. I liked how it didn’t shy away from how hard it is to be a person and communicate with other humans.


Gifted in exchange for an honest review.

[Spacey Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful Graphic Novel exploring grief and family dynamics that follow generational grief. I enjoyed reading this graphic novel in one sitting and found the illustration style complemented the narrative well.

Thanks to vintage for sending me a copy.

[Chris Bress · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just brilliant!

[Stefan Grieve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moving, well put together and thoughtful, with a powerful framing device.

[Felicidad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting family story, entertaining and witty at the same time.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

a beautiful story about the very human experience of grief. this book will put into words so many things we have only felt and not been able to explain. I will recommend this book to everyone.

[Josefa (June.Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a family memoir that explores intergenerational trauma and identity throughout cleaning out a relative's home after their passing. The emotional stages of grief) shock, denial, anger...) are well portrayed and structured. I could relate, I had to clear out ny parents homes years ago. Not an easy task when there is a lot of trauma involved alongside the grief.