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A review by saidtheraina
Present by Leslie Stein
3.0
Wow, this book is ALL about the form. forget the function.
I mean, the content is accessible enough (if my "i've had this book checked out for five months because pandemic" memory of reading it is at all accurate). Daily life things (see "read with" list below).
But these illustrations are something new.
First of all, the cover has cutouts (the circles around each figure).
And throughout the book, Stein plays with lots of different ways of getting marks on a page. Mostly brightly colored.
Her palette is unusual - is it weird to say it feels... young?
Her figures are (as others have and will note) mostly noseless, and virtually always jawline-/facial outlineless.
There are no panels. Or speech bubbles.
Stein uses some manga-adjacent symbology, if I'm not mistaken.
Which all left me with the effect of the author/protagonist character floating along through life, detached from and connected (at the same time) to everything.
It's quite the mood.
read with:
[a: Julia Wertz|939900|Julia Wertz|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1456414879p2/939900.jpg]
[b: Our Cats are More Famous Than Us: A Johnny Wander Collection|32478499|Our Cats Are More Famous Than Us A Johnny Wander Collection|Ananth Hirsh|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1478083524l/32478499._SX50_.jpg|53069064]
[b: Dragon's Breath: And Other True Stories|20702420|Dragon's Breath and Other True Stories|Mari Naomi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1398195210l/20702420._SX50_.jpg|32585755]
And a bunch of NYC-based autobiographical stuff that is slipping my mind at the moment.
Oh and, [b: Asterios Polyp|4070095|Asterios Polyp|David Mazzucchelli|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327877671l/4070095._SX50_.jpg|4117200] (which I'm extremely proud to admit that I spelled right on my first try) for some aesthetic similarity.
I mean, the content is accessible enough (if my "i've had this book checked out for five months because pandemic" memory of reading it is at all accurate). Daily life things (see "read with" list below).
But these illustrations are something new.
First of all, the cover has cutouts (the circles around each figure).
And throughout the book, Stein plays with lots of different ways of getting marks on a page. Mostly brightly colored.
Her palette is unusual - is it weird to say it feels... young?
Her figures are (as others have and will note) mostly noseless, and virtually always jawline-/facial outlineless.
There are no panels. Or speech bubbles.
Stein uses some manga-adjacent symbology, if I'm not mistaken.
Which all left me with the effect of the author/protagonist character floating along through life, detached from and connected (at the same time) to everything.
It's quite the mood.
read with:
[a: Julia Wertz|939900|Julia Wertz|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1456414879p2/939900.jpg]
[b: Our Cats are More Famous Than Us: A Johnny Wander Collection|32478499|Our Cats Are More Famous Than Us A Johnny Wander Collection|Ananth Hirsh|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1478083524l/32478499._SX50_.jpg|53069064]
[b: Dragon's Breath: And Other True Stories|20702420|Dragon's Breath and Other True Stories|Mari Naomi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1398195210l/20702420._SX50_.jpg|32585755]
And a bunch of NYC-based autobiographical stuff that is slipping my mind at the moment.
Oh and, [b: Asterios Polyp|4070095|Asterios Polyp|David Mazzucchelli|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327877671l/4070095._SX50_.jpg|4117200] (which I'm extremely proud to admit that I spelled right on my first try) for some aesthetic similarity.