Alison Bechdel has written a graphic novel about a character called Alison Bechdel. Alison Bechdel, at her home in Vermont in 2021. Page from ‘Spent’ by Alison Bechdel. Bechdel does have two brothers, but she’s always tried to leave them out of her work. “We’ve gotten so polarized in the United States that we’re unable to see each other’s humanity,” says Bechdel.