A review by chelseamartinez
Mid-Life by Joe Ollmann

2.0

The cover really says a lot... I did my best to avoid coming from the perspective of the three frowning women on the front but it kinda tells you what you need to know! It's interesting to think about how much a may have identified, or felt I should, with middle-aged dudes as a 20-something person trying to appreciate film, books and music. Even though the 90s and 00s were pretty good for non-dude film, books and music, looking back on it now, I do see that that was unnecessarily what I sought out. The kid's musician character is pretty good, I think it could have been even better if the story was even more 1/2 and 1/2 than "mostly my story but let me try to put myself in her head for a bit of balance"... I know the Bechdel test is not a real thing but it would have been cool to hear more about her beyond her troubles with suitors, business contact/suitors, and drunk friend bandmate dudes; even though the seeds of a great character are there, she doesn't get to do much other than respond to buffoonery.