I loved the overall style of the book. I noticed that the author Jarrett Krosoczka illustrated it to be dull in order to convey the burden of his childhood. He also added a few pages with no context, leaving it up to the reader to interpret everything. When Jarrett talked about his nightmares, I wonder if it was because he knew that things were bad as a child but never consciously acknowledged it.
I felt sad when Jarrett was unable to see his mother, and the way he expressed his sadness as a child was pretty heartbreaking. Seeing how his grandmother would act tough on her children was also sad to see, especially when one of them ended up leaving because of it. I understood when Jarrett expressed that he didn’t want to see his mother, especially when she did a lot of questionable things and I found it hard to see a good reason for her to do all that.
I found it funny when Jarrett painted Napoleon and left the light switch in an awkward spot. I liked that he actually used art to get him through life whether each moment is serious or not. Another detail of the story that I liked was when Jarrett added actual drawings from his childhood and actual letters that he received and sent. There’s many details in this story that are added in each character, a few of which I noticed was the way Jarrett’s grandfather expressed his affection toward his children, how his grandmother was self aware of how people may think of her, and the fact that they both are pretty focused on their future… Mainly in the cemetery.
Reading further into the story, I began to understand why Leslie began using drugs. But as I read through it longer, I felt like I didn’t understand anymore since she is a grown woman that doesn’t live with her mother now. I admire that she cared for Jarrett but she didn’t express or show it in a way that’s healthy and would damage herself to the point where she overdoses and Jarrett would see it. That’s when I began to further see how family addiction can impact somebody.
I felt pretty glad that Jarrett didn’t fall into the same habits and grew to be more mature than most people in his family, although he did have his fair share of rebellious moments when he sneaked out with friends. I found it entertaining until he ended up getting in a fight with random people he didn’t even know, and was accused of staring at someone’s girlfriend when he probably didn’t even know who the girlfriend was. I liked the overall 90s vibes of those parts.
I understood how nervous Jarrett must’ve felt when he got the letters from his dad. I also understood why he wouldn’t respond, especially since his dad never reached out or bothered to help. Even though Leslie expressed that she wanted nothing from his dad but for him to be there with Jarrett, I still felt a sad kind of feeling, like she still let Jarrett down. I understood how the grandma would be annoyed whenever the topic of men that Leslie gets involved with is brought up, mostly because none of them were any good.
Seeing Jarrett finally meet his father made me feel a bit nervous for him, but then I got disappointed seeing how his dad raised two other kids but not him. I understood that Jarett must have felt as though he wasn’t special. I wish their conversation was more fulfilling, but I understood there wasn’t much to say after so many years. Overall, I loved the story.
