Nick Drnaso

Reading about how the tragic events which haunt USA society become entangled in the dark web of conspiracy theories was both sad and an emotional black hole.
Sabrina disappears and her fate happens off page, so the reader can only deduced the truth of what happened to her based on probability, however, we do see what happens to those most closely affected by her disappearance, and the disturbing fantasies weaved about them informs our opinion of the (un)likelihood of the conspiracy theories about Sabrina.

Clear parallels to bullshit peddlers such as Alex Jones and their lies about national traumas like 9-11 and Sandy Hook. It's informative about how and why these "theories" arise, but it's also a fairly bleak look into the heart of a dysfunctional society. There is a vague sense of positivity towards the end, but you need a microscope to find it. Worthwhile low pick.… (meer)

[possible spoilers]

The themes of isolation in this book are so strong, as soon as I finished it I took the opportunity to reach out to several friends I hadn't seen in some time. And I'm not even from America. I imagine it's even more hardhitting for someone who actually belongs to that culture.

I don't want to give too much away - if you haven't read it yet I recommend doing so before you read anything about it. But I'll say a few things: it struck me as a non-American (and as a gay) how little the male characters touch each other. The character Teddy comes out to Colorado to process his grief, and I think it took until at least the 2/3 mark in the book before they so much as hugged.

The conspiracy themes that start around the halfway mark also strike me as something that could only progress to such extremes in a political climate like in the US. Well, perhaps. It's funny that they tie so neatly into the last book I was reading, [b:Them: Adventures with Extremists|1823|Them Adventures with Extremists|Jon Ronson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1400199696s/1823.jpg|5946]. I promise that wasn't deliberate!

The art is very minimalist, which might not be to some people's tastes, and yet it's somehow very nuanced and seems to convey feelings of isolation very effectively, especially the cramped, tiny frames that make up quite a few of its pages. I think it's great that we're seeing comic creators using the medium to their advantage in such ways. I'll be coming back to this book again, definitely. I think there's plenty I missed the first time. More please!… (meer)