i read chip kidd’s two novels back to back. this worked out well as one is the sequel to the other. his style is quirky and imaginative and he manages to write both ‘of a time’ and modern in the same swoop.

the story itself is hard to explain, other than giving the broad generalization that it’s a coming of age tale set in the fifties/sixties. that does absolutely nothing to describe the book, though, as it’s quite a bit more complex than that.

along with the stories, you also get a nice little treatise on the meaning of graphic design and it’s place in the world. as someone who works in that world, at least on the edges of it, it was one of the cooler parts of both books. it also made me rethink my position on design and where i view myself fitting into that world.

good books, so glad i read them. wish i owned them rather than having to give them back to the library.