I flew through this book, hating the characters but anxious to see them find happiness or at least resolution. The ending left me thoroughly dissatisfied, but in a way that felt right and real. In fact, the entire book felt so real that for the first time ever I could imagine specific voices for most of the cast. I think my favourite aspect were the illustrations, which are clean yet detailed in a way that is quite pleasing to the eye.
This is the first Tomine novel I have read, and I found his characters to be both unlovable and unpitiable. They are completely normal; sometimes annoying, sometimes stupid, sometimes profound, sometimes full of grace. I didn't like the characters, but I loved the book. That, I think, is a difficult and magical balance to create.
This is a graphic novel about ethnic and sexual identity and about stumbling through love, or what you may think is love. The straightforward illustrations merely add to the great and fascinating normalcy that is an Adrian Tomine graphic novel.