It’s not so often that I get that -can’t put it down- feeling from a graphic novel. For some reason this one had me up until two in the morning finishing it. I had just spent a while with my own family, so I easily related to the plot. This story is about the Loony family who gets together on the occasion of their parents, who after forty years, decide they are getting a divorce. I really like how the book begins with charts and little snippets of childhood moments to give you a little background of the family history before plunging you into the present time at a dinner table drama. The characters were really well described, interesting and very realistic. The rest of the book follows each of them separately in their most intimate moments- we even see them taking showers. There’s David the eldest son who is having a really hard time with his parents decision- maybe because he seems to be having problems in his own marriage to Aki. Claire is the second oldest- a single mom to Jill- her teenage daughter who is worried she looks like man. And then the youngest, Frank who is a struggling filmmaker who meets a lady friend and has a quick romance. He is the only character who has a frog face- because that’s how he imagines himself. Although the book is over 700 pages, everything is taking place in just six days. Besides a real engaging story, the design of the book is really nice with two different cover variations to pick from. The book is available for pre-order right here. Check out more from Dash Shaw here.

© Julia Rothman 2007