If you’ve read Melissa Broder’s book The Pisces, you’ve probably had the thought that, yeah, obviously I wouldn’t asking this person to watch my dog. And this graphic novel gives us about the same vibes. A woman with a young son, a recent divorce, and a new boyfriend who seems great, and maybe is? Embark on an obviously ill-fated housesitting gig. The boy shows up later, but when we first arrive, a woman’s boss is about to leave town, and she’s worried she might lose her job, but is instead asked to care for her house, and the 42 exotic birds that live with her, inheritance from a long dead uncle.
Sounds crazy, but so it goes. But what we come to learn is that this woman is on a bit of a spiral. Her divorce now final has put her relationship with her son in some peril as her ex-husband has recent gotten sober, and has begun to wield his sobriety as a cudgel against our protagonist. Every choice on her part is treated with condescension while he treats her like a child as well. So this trip involves an attempt to “prove herself worthy” of being a mother, in the eyes of the law. You can imagine it’s a bit ill-fated. A nice exploration of this story and a gorgeously drawn book.
Ultimately, this was mostly ok, but I can say that I am more interested in reading her novel Barn 8 now which has a fantastic log line and a great cover.
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