This Gen-X memoir, which is told in prose, collage, and sequential art, explores queer culture, feminism, race, class, sex work, and the flawed nature of memory as Mari works to uncover a long-lost best friend that she can no longer remember but can’t let go.
In this diligent, beautifully rendered inquiry unpacking traces of a largely forgotten personal story, MariNaomi asks what it means that certain scenes and characters, or just some of their attendant details, vanish from one’s mind after a time, while others remain ... at its heart it’s an atmospheric survey, which is to say, an examination of the ways people can often recall emotional states — moods and manners — more clearly than specifics ... There are also some expressively drawn illustrations and short comics, but these are nestled in certain sections or used to accessorize pages. The effect is a book that is harder to read, but that rewards diligent readers, as a consequence of its destabilizing vibe.
You might think the array of forms would give you a more kaleidoscopic view of the author’s history, relationships and life. But instead, the different modes tend to cancel one another out or interfere with one another, leaving the reader only more aware of gaps and erasures ... The eventual explanations for Jodie’s actions don’t completely coalesce ... Jodie is more a cipher than a character, and it’s hard to create an emotionally meaningful relationship with a cipher. The lack of affect is at least somewhat intentional ... This hybrid medium is uniquely suited to exploring the hybrid nature of identity.
Innovative ... All this is told through a captivating collage of cartoons, photos, and text. Its result equal parts wistful and skeptical, wise and all too human.
