Sabrina

Meh. I semi-understand the hype around this book, but I definitely don't understand some of the breathlessly “best book of our times” blurbs from greats like Zadie Smith. I really disliked his drawing style and that you could barely tell characters apart. Having seen nothing else by Drnaso, I can't tell if that's viewed as a feature or a flaw. For me, if yellow hair is the only feature separating one character from another, I'm going with flaw. I liked some of the juxtapositions of the panels and the churning dread felt real, but the intentionally obscured text panels were tiresome and though I read the book in one night, I never felt compelled or moved by the characters or story. It's a final 3 star instead of a 2 because I will keep thinking about the dark side of conspiracy theories after tragedies, but I'm not looking to read more from him.

This was unlike any graphic novel I've ever read. And also kinda like anything else I've ever read. It reminded me a lot of the movie “A Ghost Story” with Rooney Mara. Very slowly paced story about grief that doesn't completely resolve itself at the end, and instead offers the idea that we sometimes can only just get through the terrible things that happen in our life.

It's also a great example of how comics can be used to tell a story, because this book would not have been nearly as impactful without the simple lines and colors Drnaso uses to depict the ordinariness of the world, emphasized by the characters' interactions. This book will sit with me for a while.