Black Hole/Jitterbug Perfume/Good-Bye, Chunky Rice

Black Hole - Charles Burns (1995-2005)
Overall, I loved Black Hole about as much as I expected to. It tells a startlingly gruesome tale of teenage isolation through the metaphor of a grotesque skin disease that is transmitted through sexual contact. The characters are charming and lovable, even when they gloss over obvious, crucial details. As much as I usually love ambiguous endings, I was honestly hoping for Black Hole to end in catastrophe, so I was a little disappointed in that. Otherwise, it is a wonderful graphic novel that I encourage all to read.


Jitterbug Perfume - Tom Robbins (1984)
Jitterbug Perfume is the third Tom Robbins novel I've read, and in order to have gotten the maximum effect, I probably should have read it first. About one year ago, I had a conversation with a friend who basically said, "You read one Tom Robbins novel, you've read 'em all." While I thought there were too many similarities in message and style between Still Life With Woodpecker and Skinny Legs and All, I was surprised that Jitterbug Perfume felt as different as it did. It still came across as a minor epic with the most ridiculous of characters who are difficult to keep track of, but Robbins' writing style here felt much more dense and less outwardly zany (though still zany, of course). The overarching themes of striving for eternal life and the sensuality of the sense of smell are definitely interesting ones to base a novel off of, and overall I'd say this was a good read, but there were plenty of elements that got in the way. My main complaint is the pacing and the overwhelming amount of time that the story covers. Also, I didn't really care for these characters. I love bizarre, completely out there stories that seriously lack reality, but there has to be at least a smidge of realism in the characters, and in my opinion, that is Robbins' downfall.


Good-Bye, Chunky Rice - Craig Thompson (1999)
I had never read any Craig Thompson before (I am most excited to get to his critically acclaimed Blankets at some point), but this, his 1999 debut graphic novel, was a good place to start. There's not much to say about Good-Bye, Chunky Rice, aside from the fact that it is a wonderful, heartwarming tale of friendship, loss and belonging. As short and sparse as the graphic novel is, the characters are deep, fascinating and absolutely lovable. Everything in Good-Bye, Chunky Rice, from the story to the visuals, is utterly adorable. I know I usually before pretty messed up books, but this is a real nice change.