Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* A richly woven story of three misfits, each of whose intersecting lives threatens to crash and burn, but who survive and even thrive emotionally, unfolds in gorgeous watercolor-hued panels and tight, credible dialogue. Koko is a twentysomething who really wants to be good, although she has a tendency to do just the wrong thing so often that others have difficulty trusting her motives. Slightly older Jon wants to join his older girlfriend in do-good work in Latin America, but she drops him. Faron, a teenager somewhat younger and less independent than Koko, works in a Vietnamese restaurant, where he is the scapegoat. All three characters are fully developed, delightfully drawn, and actively portrayed in contemporary San Francisco, whose neighborhoods also come to life on the large pages. This is stellar storytelling and art, opening a complex but accessible window onto real-life situations and self-discoveries. It should be most appealing to literary graphic-novel readers, other readers willing to cross over for the sake of a high-quality bildungsroman, and anyone else looking for beautiful and subtle art. Much more than a boy-meets-, or -loses-, -girl affair, the story of Koko, Jon, and Faron is a multicultural fable in which universal truths are made fresh and inspiring.--Goldsmith, Francisca Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
When readers dive into Wang's first graphic novel, they may at first believe they have another slacker coming-of-age story on their hands. And to some extent, that is true, although it travels in unexpected directions. Wang follows three characters as they struggle to define their places in the world. Jon is a recent college graduate planning to follow his older girlfriend to Peru to work for an orphanage, and his story, which opens the book, feels the most familiar. In the midst of his existential crisis, he meets Koko, an eccentric, sometimes almost feral young woman who ricochets from encounter to encounter, often leaving a trail of chaos in her wake. The relatively slim plot follows them, as well as Faron, a slight teenage boy, as they wrestle with what it means to be good and how goodness can be combined with happiness. Wang's strength is her art work. The watercolor panels, with an ochre template, are stunning and emotionally evocative, and the book is at its best when she tells the story through images. At times the dialogue sounds too much like a late-night college bull session, especially when it turns to philosophy. But Wang's delicate images, and her ability to capture the earnest emotions of her characters, should pull in all but the most hard-hearted reader. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Wang's debut graphic novel builds on her charming work in the Flight anthologies and on a short comic bearing the same title and free-spirited young woman. Wang's gift is the finesse with which she renders emotion in the faces of characters: Jon, an earnest musician apprehensive about a pending move to Peru with an older woman; Koko, a compulsive yet ambitious drifter determined to fix past mistakes by finding purpose in the present; and Faron, a sullen teen struggling with the uncertainties of life after high school. As their lives unexpectedly converge, commiseration acts as a form of therapy. Each is forced to confront-willingly or not-the source of his or her unhappiness. The outcome, in Jon's word: sublime. Verdict Young readers seeking sympathetic interpretations of the meandering path to adulthood, fraught with low-wage jobs and reckless decision making, and adults fond of reminiscing about tumultuous friendships and lost love, will find a great deal with which to connect. Here's hoping a second volume helps us catch up with Koko and company.-John Gehner, Urbana Free Lib., IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
