Never Ending Summer

Allison Cole's sparsely drawn account of one summer in the life of a twenty-something girl does not tell a story, per se, but rather is composed of an account of several romantic entanglements. Though told in a sprawling, slowly-paced (for a comic) manner, the emotional tone is right-on, suffused with melancholy and a sort of bored idleness that is very true to summertime for the barely-adult. The drawings are cute--people look vaguely like they're wearing bear costumes--but I had a bit of trouble telling the characters apart, despite the key at the front of the book. I sense,though, that this wasn't really important to plot or enjoyment, and it lends the book an unexpected feeling of universality.