I got to read This One Summer, and it kind of struck me as... okay?
The art is wonderful, breathtaking at points.
Something about the writing was just... off.
The protagonist, whose name I already forgot, went from decent to insufferable.
This suffered from Asterios Polyps's narrative, but at least I finished this one out of sheer curiosity.
With narratives that introduce an unlikable narrator, you usually expect to see some level of growth, a coming of age that lets you empathize. Any panel in which we get to see her have closure with her mother, who clearly wanted a child. Any panel in which we get to see her apologize to her friend for any of the mean shit she said. Any panel in which she has some introspection, appreciates her family, understands Jenny's plight as a possible future mom.
There's no exploration as to why she has this internalized sexism. Her father was loving, her mother was somewhat neglectful, but due to grieving for the past year over losing a child. The temporary crush on The Dud might've influenced how she behaved, but we don't get to see that fully. There's little suspense, little resolution, and although events happened, the book did not achieve at making anything happen. It's odd how you can make all the events of the novel into something so... bland? Full of potential and barely delivering.
If it did one thing right, it was nail how children speak. There's this misconception in older adults that children should never and will never discuss difficult topics, but that's about half of their conversations. It, like Craig Thompson's Blankets, felt true to itself.
Despite Craig Thompson himself liking it, he clearly explored the aftermath of his issues. This just doesn't happen in This One Summer. It's disappointing.
With that under my belt, I read My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness.
I loved it. I felt for her in every way imaginable.
My current partner is male, but for the longest time I connected strongly with her. Her ability to stay true to herself was admirable, even with her parents' possible judgement looming, she made enough progress to move out, get a job where she wished, and explore her identity.
The art is wonderful, breathtaking at points.
Something about the writing was just... off.
The protagonist, whose name I already forgot, went from decent to insufferable.
This suffered from Asterios Polyps's narrative, but at least I finished this one out of sheer curiosity.
With narratives that introduce an unlikable narrator, you usually expect to see some level of growth, a coming of age that lets you empathize. Any panel in which we get to see her have closure with her mother, who clearly wanted a child. Any panel in which we get to see her apologize to her friend for any of the mean shit she said. Any panel in which she has some introspection, appreciates her family, understands Jenny's plight as a possible future mom.
There's no exploration as to why she has this internalized sexism. Her father was loving, her mother was somewhat neglectful, but due to grieving for the past year over losing a child. The temporary crush on The Dud might've influenced how she behaved, but we don't get to see that fully. There's little suspense, little resolution, and although events happened, the book did not achieve at making anything happen. It's odd how you can make all the events of the novel into something so... bland? Full of potential and barely delivering.
If it did one thing right, it was nail how children speak. There's this misconception in older adults that children should never and will never discuss difficult topics, but that's about half of their conversations. It, like Craig Thompson's Blankets, felt true to itself.
Despite Craig Thompson himself liking it, he clearly explored the aftermath of his issues. This just doesn't happen in This One Summer. It's disappointing.
With that under my belt, I read My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness.
I loved it. I felt for her in every way imaginable.
My current partner is male, but for the longest time I connected strongly with her. Her ability to stay true to herself was admirable, even with her parents' possible judgement looming, she made enough progress to move out, get a job where she wished, and explore her identity.
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