If O. Henry's "Gift of the Magi" and Kafka's "Metamorphosis" had a baby that was raised by Shojo Beat and Patrick Ness's "A Monster Calls," you'd get If O. Henry's "Gift of the Magi" and Kafka's "Metamorphosis" had a baby that was raised by Shojo Beat and Patrick Ness's "A Monster Calls," you'd get Caterpillar Girl and Bad Texter Boy.
The titular characters are two friends: Suzume, who is kind, smart, and gorgeous, and Akane, who has struggled with anxiety and feelings of low self-worth since his parents separated when he was a child. Suzume has a bit of an obsession with Akane, and when he rejects her out of bewilderment that someone as "perfect" as her would want to date someone like him, she disappears, then reappears as . . . a giant caterpillar. Hijinks ensue as an increasingly-desperate Akane tries to find a cure for the increasingly-inhuman Suzume with the help of Yutaka, a friend of Suzume who's keeping a massive secret.
What sounds like a fantastic premise is anchored by all-too-believable characters. Teens (and older readers) who've struggled with social isolation, anxiety, depression, one-way romantic relationships, and accidental metamorphosis into giant insects will find much to relate to in this single-volume (?) graphic novel....more
As other reviewers have noted, Russian Roulette is a timely book--the scandals and controversies it reports continue to play out and be superseded by As other reviewers have noted, Russian Roulette is a timely book--the scandals and controversies it reports continue to play out and be superseded by new skulduggery even as I type this review. Given this, it is perhaps better to read the book as an excellent example of really long-form reporting: a Mother Jones investigative report on steroids, pulling together what we know now without the expectation of delivering any kind of definitive verdict on the events it covers.
From this perspective, the book delivers on the promise of its subtitle. The blizzard of reporting, analysis, accusation, and Tweeting that news-readers have been wading through for the last three years is brought into chronological order and enriched with the perspectives of journalists, spies and ex-spies, politicians, aides, and bureaucrats who witnessed events or observed their fallout. It's especially enlightening to read about what certain players (Donald Trump Jr, James Comey, Barack Obama, etc) knew at the time they chose to make or not make public statements that were then reported on.
The story of Russia's covert influence war and the shocking election of Donald Trump is far from over. Russian Roulette provides a useful guide to the events leading up to and following the 2016 election, and I expect that its analysis will provide a useful lens for examining future developments in the story. Well worth the time to read, even--and perhaps especially--if you've followed the story in the news....more
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