"Blankets" by Craig Thompson is a thinly veiled work of fiction. It is a graphic novel, with a story accompanied by the author's artwork.

The story begins with two brothers, Phil and Craig, sleeping in the same bed. The boys are young and not altogether happy about the sleeping arrangements. As Craig states, "Shared' is a sugar-coated way of saying we were trapped in the same bed, as we were children and had no say in the matter" (Chapter 1, p. 10).

The boys continue living in this way until they no longer share a bed. At this point, Craig and Phil become relative strangers although they are only three years apart and live in the same house.

Craig's school days are recounted. The boy is beaten up and humiliated on a regular basis. The bullies insult Craig's whole family and humiliate him in front of everyone. Craig is routinely miserable and feels isolated. He says, "As a child, I thought that life was the most horrible world anyone could ever live in, and that there had to be something better" (Chapter 1, p. 38).

Craig thinks about running away every day. He goes through all of the motions but never carries out the plan, knowing that there were much worse things out in the world and he should be grateful for what he already has.

At night Craig wanted to escape into his dreams. The dreams are elaborate and fanciful.

The main thing Craig and Phil have in common is a love of drawing. Craig uses escapism to avoid his daily problems. The other main focus for Craig is his devotion to God and the Bible. Craig's family is extremely devout - almost to the point of being zealots. Craig believes that the Bible is the word of God and he must obey it.

Craig's experiences at church camp are no better than they are at school, which surprises and disgusts Craig. Things are bleak until he meets Raina, a beautiful 17-year-old girl from Michigan. Craig and Raina spend as much time together as possible.

Craig and Raina continue their relationship after they return to their homes. Craig visits Raina in Michigan for two weeks. While in Michigan, Craig learns a great deal about Raina and her tumultuous family situation. Raina's parents are most likely getting a divorce and Raina is often put in the position of taking care of two adopted siblings with Down's syndrome along with her infant niece.

The pressures are home are too great for Raina and she ends the relationship with Craig.

Craig is heartbroken. He struggles with his devotion to the church and Bible although his faith in God has not wavered. Craig stops going to church and sets out to find himself in a world completely unlike his hometown. In the end, Craig realizes that there must be a middle ground between the zealot lifestyle of his family and the tumultuous lifestyle of his former girlfriend. He can strive for balance.