Lee Lai

Stone Fruit shares a down-to-earth story of relationships complicated by depression, trauma, and difficulty communicating. It was slow-paced and low on plot, allowing the focus to remain on the characters and their evolving connections to one another. I appreciated that there were no easy resolutions or reunions for anyone. Even when Bron and Ray have legitimate reasons to pull away from each other and their families to deal with their own issues, they still have to accept how that changes show more those relationships. There’s no way back to what was. That said, I wish there had been something more of a resolution by the end of the book. I wanted to see Bron develop more, ending with more self-awareness about her behavior, and instead she seemed to still be bouncing between people, needing connection, then withdrawing. show less

A slow-burn, lives-of-quiet-desperation relationship drama that starts with Ray and Bron literally running like wolves in the wild while babysitting Ray's niece, but then metaphorically stepping into the trap of unresolved family baggage and finding themselves gnawing their legs off to be free. Melancholy and painful, but enthralling all the same.

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Edelweiss. Content warning for sexual harassment and nudity.)

--3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 where necessary --





Cannon is in many ways a model Chinese daughter: she has a steady job (even if it's as a chef); she is quiet and unassuming; and she took on responsibility for the care of her elderly grandfather after the death of his wife. Not because she and her and her gung gung have an especially close relationship, but rather her own show more mother is too traumatized by his abuse to do it herself. This even-temperedness extends to other areas of her life as well: in a kitchen filled with hotheaded men, Cannon is always the one to bring the temperature down, and Cannon is most definitely the calm to her best friend Trish's chaos (and general inconsiderateness).

In fact, it was Trish who gave Cannon - Lucy on her birth certificate - her nickname. (Loose Cannon, get it?)

Under the surface, though, Cannon is a hot, smoldering mess of lava ready to explode. You can see her inch closer with every guided meditation, every mile she runs, even at the expense of her body.

The denouement - the destruction of her sexual harassing boss's kitchen - is both satisfying and a long time coming. That said, I really wanted MORE, especially after we had to watch Cannon suffer over the course of almost 300 pages before she finally erupted.

CANNON is a slow burn, to be sure; Lee Lai really excels at capturing the nuances of interpersonal relationships, but the action does take a while to unfold. I was getting a little antsy by the time the dishes started flying.

The nod to horror movies might be my favorite part. Whereas Cannon and Trish have a standing weekly date to binge 90s Aussie horror flicks - all "camp and gore" - by story's end they've made the switch to "role model horror" like CARRIE and LADY VENGEANCE. These might be the truest words ever spoken in a graphic novel. REVENGE ftw. show less

Stone Fruit mi è entrato dentro.
Tratta di una storia d'amore Queer, ma alla fine parla di tutte le storie d'amore: perché le sensazioni di incomprensione, inadeguatezza, Amore che deve cambiare strada (e può non farcela come sì) per andare avanti ed essere qualcosa di nuovo esistono/possono esistere in qualunque storia d'amore.
La potenza di questa graphic novel sta anche per me appunto in una sorta di universalità del messaggio, nel senso della tavola che da il titolo al libro.
Dal show more punto di vista delle immagini, l'ho amato subito: un tratto quasi stilizzato e con molte scelte simboliche azzeccatissime.

Concludo dicendo che incontrarlo sulla mia strada, per caso, nello scaffale dell'usato e dopo averne sentito parlare così bene da Sbarbine che leggono e la ragazza sul drago è stata una gran botta di culo: altrimenti probabilmente l'avrei lasciato a candire chissà per quanto altro tempo nella mia lista dei desideri. show less