I Never Liked You [Paperback]

Chester Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 15, 2002

In one of the best graphic novels published in recent years, Chester Brown tells the story of his alienated youth in an almost detached, understated manner, giving the book an eerie, dream-like quality. For the new 2002 definitive softcover edition Brown has designed new layouts for the entire book, using "white" panel backgrounds instead of the black pages of the first edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"a minimalist, but haunting, memoir of the artist’s troubled adolescence". -- The New York Times Book Review

"an engrossing memoir by one of the most talented artists working in alternative comics today". -- Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

Chester Brown is commonly regarded as one of the leading figures of the alternative comics "renaissance" that began in the 1980's.  As a cartoonist, he has produced three regular comic book series, Yummy Fur, Underwater, and Louis Riel, and his work has been collected in four books: Ed The Happy Clown, The Playboy, I Never Liked You, and The Little Man. Throughout his career, Brown's work has been known for its diverse and unpredictable nature. His stories have ranged from the absurd surrealism of Ed the Happy Clown, to the deeply personal, understated autobiographical accounts of his youth, to, more recently, the dada-esque, linguistically-challenged oddness of Underwater. Brown has won two Harvey Awards, for Best Cartoonist and Best Graphic Album

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Drawn and Quarterly; First Edition edition (February 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1896597149
• ISBN-13: 978-1896597140
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #209,212 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #49 in Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Publishers > Drawn and Quarterly

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very sparce but emotionally rich story of a young boy., August 18, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: I Never Liked You: A Graphic Novel (Paperback)

In this age of post-modern, ironic, dconstructionist storytelling, it's refreshing to see someone such as Canadian writer\artist Chester Brown honestly recount his early life. 'I Never Liked You', graphic novel, is an excellent and enticing introduction to both Brown and the comics medium. The story and art mesh together effortlesly and all the sentimental cliches are carefully avoided. It's a quick read, which may dissapoint you at first, but, as you find yourself needing to reread it, you'll realize that it's a virtue. 'I Never Liked You' is poetic- flowing and graceful, yet meaty enough for you to dissect any line or image and learn more about what has shaped Chester Brown to make him the great artist he is today. Highly Recommended.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars more than i was expecting, February 24, 2005

By 

C. Hopf "parlorus" (austin, tx) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: I Never Liked You (Paperback)

I love reading graphic novels, especially from the publishing company of I Never Liked You (Drawn & Quarterly). I've read maybe a dozen or so that they've put out. But for some reason, this one surprised me.

It might be because many of the things that occur in the story I can relate to, or they resemble what I was like in high school. Though, as most cartoonists are outcasts and that is often shown in their work, this doesn't make a graphic novel that special. Other aspects of the book...his mother, how he dealt with other people, etc....were what really struck me as sad. Yes I've read lots of sad stories in comics, but this one just seem to ring a little truer or deeper. It may be his minimalist approach; this lets you interpret many actions for yourself in that there is not often any definite reason or meaning behind the things that happen. Nor do you really know what's always going on in the speaker's head. These things, for me, made the book much more personal, because I was interpreting the events from my point of view, not necessarily seeing exactly how the speaker was interpreting them.

4.0 out of 5 stars Perhaps a little too successful at its mission, November 16, 2010

By 

Timothy W. Lieder "racapowski is rapacowski" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: I Never Liked You (Paperback)

Chester Brown depicts his adolescent years with a distinct sadness and criticism. In many ways, this is a young adult's depiction of adolescence, not capturing adolescence so much as that point where you grow up enough to first realize that everyone you've ever blamed for your problems is mostly innocent and that you're the jerk. (granted some people never get to this state. THey are called sociopaths) Later on, you gain some more perspective and feel some affection for your younger nasty self. This is not that book. Chester Brown wrote this book in a state of hatred for his teenage self. You can see it in every drawing of himself as a sallow skinny jerk. You see it in his way of treating Carrie and Sky. Even the things that might be admirable like his refusal to swear are explained away.

THe Chester Brown of the book is caught between two female friends - Carrie and Sky - with Connie providing a conscience that isn't really adhered to. Carrie loves him and she's depicted as a beautiful romantic creature whose only fault is bad taste. Sky is the friend that he eats with and its obvious early on that his interest in her is her breasts. He says he loves her but it comes so fast that you know that he's simply abusing the word. As an undercurrent, his mother is slowly losing her mind and as she deteriorates, the narrative keeps her off camera as she becomes less prominent in Chester's life.

The fact of the matter is that this is a fine book about depicting a teenager who keeps his messed up emotions in check. However, it's not easy to stay so close to a repressed individual who doesn't allow himself to feel anything but the most superficial emotions.