Saturday, November 17, 2018

Book Report: Sabrina by Nick Drnaso



This book was the first graphic novel nominated for the Man Booker Prize, so I put in my request at the library and waited patiently for months, assuming that it would be more than worth the delay once it arrived. And goddamn, was I disappointed in this book that I spent no money to acquire and read. It was really terrible, and I don’t want to dwell on it, but I need to make a few points:

The art is minimalist, which I don’t have a problem with, but it’s so unadorned that it’s difficult to tell the characters apart.

The dialogue is extremely flat, which when combined with the boring art, makes for a boring-ass reading experience.

The plot, such as it is, deals with the aftermath of an abduction and killing of Sabrina (in Chicago, I think), and the descent into Alex Jones-style conspiracy theorizing of Sabrina’s boyfriend. The dude is understandably depressed and shaken, but he’s an absolute cipher of a character, as is his high school friend whom he’s staying with in the southwest.

Everyone is a damn cipher, and their motivations and feelings seem completely arbitrarily assigned. Most of the heavy lifting of the plot is done by the disembodied voice of the conspiracy-theorizing radio host, which is a very alienating way to experience a story.

Thesis statement: Assholes in real life are also assholes online, I guess, and we’re in a real dark place as a country. I agree, but this book still sucks. At least it doesn’t take long to read.

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