Kristen Radtke

Welp. I’ll start with the positives. I find the title evocative. The author is from my hometown (always a bit fun). I learned a few things. The parts about her uncle were quite poignant.

Others have said it better than me. This graphic novel is written from a place of navel-gazing, pretension, and ignorance. I can forgive all these qualities if there is humor, self-awareness, or a sharp voice in a book, but I found this one lacking. The stolen (and later carelessly lost) memorial was a mistake twice over: taking it in the first place and writing about it as she did. Reading his mother’s review of this book and seeing the pain it has caused her leaves an awful taste in my mouth. I wish it hadn’t been included at all.… (mehr)