89. Lost at Sea by Bryan Lee O'Malley

Lost at Sea by Bryan Lee O'Malley

Rating: (2.5/5)

(US) - (Canada)

2003, Oni Press, 168 pgs
Age: 12+

Borrowed a copy from my local library.

"Raleigh doesn't have a soul. A cat stole it - or at least that's what she tells people - or at least that's what she would tell people if she told people anything. But that would mean talking to people, and the mere thought of social interaction is terrifying. How did such a shy teenage girl end up in a car with three of her hooligan classmates on a cross-country road trip? Being forced to interact with kids her own age is a new and alarming proposition for Raleigh, but maybe it's just what she needs - or maybe it can help her find what she needs - or maybe it can help her to realize that what she needs has been with her all along."

Having read the Scott Pilgrim series, I saw that O'Malley had written only one other book so I decided to see if it was any different than the Scott books.  It certainly is. This is the story of a girl on a journey, a road trip and her immense angst as she tries to figure out what her life means.  She feels she has no soul and searches for it in a cat.  Very strange with lots of crazy symbolism if you want to take the time to try and analyze it.  But, to me, just random wanderings of an existential nature.  I got bored halfway through, but carried on and did have a laugh at the chasing of cats at night as Raleigh tried to stare into their eyes looking for her soul.  One thing I may not have mentioned before though is that I do enjoy O'Malley's art; it has a manga vibe to it but is definitely Western and the simple facial expressions show a lot of emotion.