From School Library Journal
YA-Chunky Rice is an anthropomorphic turtle who follows his urge to move on, leaving behind lovesick Dandele, a bug-eyed mouse, and a dreamy longshoreman. Chunky books passage on a barely seaworthy craft piloted by a shady skipper. Conjoined twins Ruth and Livonia are also on board. Back on shore, Dandele sends bottled missives out to sea and the longshoreman's injured pet bird, Merle, heals and regains flight. Thompson presents this bittersweet and engaging story in black-and-white panels that flow and tip into one another, giving the story motion that is reminiscent of the ocean against Chunky's boat and at Dandele's feet. The narrative intersperses past and present so that each character's motives become clear. Solid storytelling is expanded by the images, resulting in a fully realized literary work. The sea captain's posturing is fittingly retrograde and the twins are, by turns, self-exploitive and just plain folks. Chunky, Dandele, the longshoreman, and Merle, however, are unremitting winners. This book will be popular with both inveterate comics readers and those new to graphic literature.-Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA
Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Review
“Both funny and genuinely touching in turn, Craig Thompson’s
Good-bye Chunky Rice is an affecting meditation upon friendship, loneliness, and loss, all delivered with a real feel for the musicality of the comic strip form. This work sings and dances, and you could do a lot worse than to sing and dance along with it. Highly recommended.”
—Alan Moore, creator of
From Hell and
Watchmen
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
