Art Spiegelman brings a touch of comedy to his father's saga of how he survived Auschwitz. This is not your typical portrayal of a Jew desperately searching for a way to escape the Nazis' deadly grasp. Although the plot is completely dependent upon its illustrations and could not stand alone, it is far from weak. You learn the story of Vladek, Artie Spiegelman's father, without fluff. Maus is written as an interview of Vladek.
Time fluctuates between present and past.
In one of the book's first sequences you hear Vladek remembering a former love interest, Lucia Greenberg. This sets the mood for the rest of the story. You get the feeling that you can not trust anyone. As you read on about the later years of the war you see that is was not uncommon for Jews to turn on other Jews. The most important thing was continuing to live, not maintaining loyalties.