Orange Book

Okay I do not know how far down this book was in the list of results after searching for "Orange" but it was not in the first four pages, and only ONE of those listed was actually titled "Orange." WTF, Goodreads?

You might think I'm overreacting. I'm not. Because this comic is stunning. The art is expressive and intense and gorgeous. The narrative itself is loose--I know from experience that translation doesn't always capture the poetry of a work, although I have no way of knowing if that happened here. It is entirely possible it was written pretty much exactly as it's presented; I can see that. It still captures the dark and empty feelings that seem to be especially intense during the teen years for some; a little contradictory--a desperate reaching out on one hand (that might be indicating a belief, or at least hope, that there are reasons to live) and a conviction of isolation and hopelessness on the other. Having found no hope in the normal world, Orange looks for it in a place--a person--even more shattered than herself.

The art makes what could have been quite a dreary (and maybe even unremarkable story, in lesser hands) live and breathe. The pastels, the fluidity, the sense of motion--the book is amazing. I recommend you feast your eyes on this thing as soon as you can.

I cannot convey how upset I am that Benjamin's next book scheduled for English release, "Remember," has been pushed back to Feburary 2010. Damn it.