In: The Graphic Novel: Will McPhail

Product Information

Medusa’s Ankles by AS Byatt (Knopf) – The first of the short story collections on our list (and also the first of depressingly many examples of hideous American cover design, alas) is this powerful collection by the author of Possession and The Children’s Book, here emphasizing her surprising ability to craft subversive fantasy. The Trees by Percival Everett (Graywolf Press) – Underneath its unprepossessing exterior (Graywolf avoided giving it a hideous cover by giving it not cover at all, just the book’s title on a piece of blank paper, like a manufacturer’s label stamped on a crate of pomegranates), this is a weirdly wry novel about race and perception that took me a couple of reads to appreciate - which is much appreciated in this era of tweets-as-manuscripts. Starts as a charming romantic comedy and turns into something tender and affecting about our need for connection. I loved this one. ' David Nicholls Small point to the author, next time give your book a more searchable title, it'll make it easier to market and search for on the internet! A subtitle would've gotten around it.

Barista: "It's a barter and exchange system. I can trade you this coffee for a commodity or service of equal value." The book is very funny, a dry kind of humour, that aches as much as it makes you laugh. The portion of the book that handles his mother's illness is really only introduced after you've met the mother a couple of times already, which is a smart decision. It is where the humour dissipates and real life hits. This is a miraculous book. Very funny, very sad and very beautiful - all at the same time, somehow. * Joe Dunthorne * Our main character spends most of his time alone in his apartment or drinking coffee in fancy cafes. Most conversations are shallow and inauthentic. A Passage North by Anuk Arudpragasam (Hogarth) – The shadow of the Sri Lankan civil war stretches over this bluntly moving character study of half a dozen different kinds of displacement, but there’s also a deeply felt love story here.In is most autobiographical in its humour, says McPhail, teasing his own “woke boy” tendencies and patronage of trendy cafes across Edinburgh. (His custom rivals JK Rowling’s, he claims: “If my book is anywhere near not a flop, I better get some plaques around this place.”) But In did spring from his own experience of breakthroughs in connection, the “conversations that feel kind of transcendent in their intimacy”, he says. Next up is 'Twill & Sons.' Either a coffee shop or a barbers. But it could also be the movie 'Dunkirk.' Who is Twill? Je ne sais pas. Who are the sons? Perhaps they are the translucent stable boys behind the counter who leak cold brew from crystal tanks. Their hair is wet and like new born fish, their twitching organs are clearly visible through their paper skin. This is my 2nd advanced reader copy (ARC) review. This means I received this ebook for free, in exchange for this review by Netgalley. I'm not financially motivated, as I read library books, so I only read ARCs I actually think will be good enough for me to rate and review honestly.

The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki (Viking) – This big, completely captivating novel by Ruth Ozeki features a boy who hears a vast, wild symphony of voices from the world around him and seeks only to make sense of it all; at first it seems whimsical, but it carries more heft and wonder than anything this author has ever written. In the end, I think I'm still going to give it five stars, although my enthusiasm for this awesome plot we were having dimmed once it was turned into a cancer book. I'm going to give it five stars because it is just SO FRESH and McPhail's writing is so on-point. His illustrations are also great. He should be very proud of himself. Do you hear me, Will McPhail? Be very proud of yourself and take this moment to revel in creating a very fresh and well done GN. Starts as a charming romantic comedy and turns into something tender and affecting about our need to connect. I loved this one. * David Nicholls * Starts as a charming romantic comedy and turns into something tender and affecting about our need for connection. I loved this one. ‘ David Nicholls UPDATE: 5 days later, read this again. Can confirm that it will not only remain on my shelf, but will get regularly read every month or so.And it's fine, it's fine that the book ends that way but it wasn't the joyful, clever, innovative narrative I was hoping for. Instead, it was cancer. This put a damper on things. Beautiful, bittersweet portrait of modern life . . . his tragicomedy will also make the heart swell.’ Guardian A curious, funny and deeply human story about growing up in adulthood. Asks all the questions, and makes a case for real connection in a world full of podcasts and plant-based milk. * Emmy the Great * He hadn’t. “I knew exactly where it was, the whole time,” says McPhail now, from his Edinburgh flat. “I just wanted to join in. And then I said,” he winces: “‘That’d be 10 quid these days!’ These days! Like I know anything about coffee prices through the ages!”