La Perdida
by Jessica Abel
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Book Summary Information
Author: Jessica AbelEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2008-05-20
ISBN: 0375714715
Number of pages: 288
Publisher: Pantheon
Book Reviews of La Perdida
Book Review: Doesn't quite live up to the hype
Summary: 2 Stars
Carla, the narrator, is really oblivious. She is charmingly oblivious when she can't hold a taco right in the first few pages, but becomes more and more frustratingly oblivious as the story progresses: she has little direction or common sense, and so quickly gets dragged down by her circle of low-life "friends." Such a weak central figure deflates the work as a whole. Although readers are made to care about what happens to Carla while reading the story, afterwards, reading the book just feels like a waste of time. Carla is a dumb girl who learns very little, and doesn't apply that in life.
The narrative gets very tedious at points. The story does go quickly, I suppose, but reflects the directionlessness of Carla's life. The plot is rife with little characters that make brief cameos, muddy the waters, and then disappear.
Character development for recurring characters is a little flat; the characters don't flesh out much beyond the description in the dust jacket -- Oscar as a "pretty-boy who sells pot and dreams of being a DJ," and Memo as "a left-wing, pseudo-intellectual ladies' man." Harry is one-sidedly painted as a capitalist pig and privileged brat, and not allowed to develop much beyond that.
That said, there are some good points about Abel's graphic novel. It captures Carla's reasons (albeit vague and poorly thought-out) for going to Mexico and her desire to find her roots, although more attention could have been given to the culture shock that inevitably comes with entering and living in a new country. The culture shock is basically glossed over; she finds a few aspects of Mexico grimy but nets herself into even-grimier situations.
The artwork is pretty good, but one or two panel transitions are confusing. The aesthetic is also very cluttered. When she details the backgrounds, she uses the same thickness of line, which makes it annoying to try to process what's foreground and what's not. Dialogue is all crammed together. The text boxes for Carla's "voiceovers" sometimes work really well, but sometimes give a sense of trying to fit too much into too, too little space. It's a major relief when Abel provides visual space once in a while.
Overall, a dense read, a bit off-putting if you don't like profanity in every other panel, okay if you're already an avid graphic novel fan but not recommended if you want a user-friendly first-time graphic novel to sink your teeth into. I hope that this never gets made into a movie, though--it would be a disaster.
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