WRITER.

Warning! Adult Themes

Rating: 1 out of 10 stars

207 pages

Graphic novel, Humor

Trigger Warnings: sexual assault, violence, abuse, blood

Spoiler-Free section

I can say with absolute certainty that this is the worst book I have read so far this year. The only reason that I didn’t rate this a zero is because I reserve that rating for books I can’t finish. I think I would have given up on this one sooner if it wasn’t relatively short.

This book is one devoid of hope, absolutely nihilistic and hedonistic. The characters have no moral code and are abjectly cruel to their so-called friends. They seek pleasure at the expense of all else.

The main characters are Megg, Mogg, and Owl, though Werewolf Jones makes a few appearances. Megg is a sadistic, drug-addicted, and depressed witch. Mogg is a disgusting and cruel cat who is also in a romantic and possibly sexual relationship with Megg. (And he’s not even anthropomorphized. Just a regular cat, except he can talk. Pretty much bestiality here.) Owl is their humanoid owl roommate who is more redeemable than the other characters, but is definitely sex obsessed so for me that was a bit much.

I honestly don’t know why Owl is friends with Megg and Mogg. Never once do they show him any kindness. The relationship is clearly abusive.

If you read this book, be prepared for page after page of insipid and ribald humor and ugly drawings. Yes, the art too is aesthetically awful and occasionally disturbing.

Spoiler time!

I suspected I wouldn’t like this book from the very beginning, when Werewolf Jones uses a cheese grater on his private parts as part of some daring trick. Like what the heck?

Was he drunk? Probably. Was that necessary? Definitely not.

But I gave it a chance. More of a chance than it deserved. The absolute worst part of this book was how Owl was treated throughout.

One time he was locked out of the house and desperately needed to use the restroom. His “friends” were inside but refused to let him in, so he did his business behind a tree. A dog comes by and eats the feces, and Owl hits his head while trying to stop the dog. The dog goes on to lick him with his dirty tongue. No one helps him.

What the heck?

That was wrong for so many reasons. It does also raise the question, what animals are sentient in this book? The dog certainly acted like a dumb animal. But Mogg talks and even makes out with Megg. (Gross…)

Megg and Mogg ruin Owl’s first day at a new job, resetting his alarm and staining his pants, making it so that he barely arrives on time and makes a terrible impression.

They make fun of him for joining AA and get him drunk, amused by the way he acts in public. They put him in a grocery cart in the drive thru and are amused when a car hits the cart.

But the worst thing of all is the fact that they sexually assault him, and laugh it off later when he brings it up and talks about how it felt to him. This more than cements two of the main characters being irredeemable. Not only could this be extremely triggering for many people, it is treated as a almost as a joke even seemingly by the writer.

I was so glad when Owl left them at the end and wouldn’t tell them where he was going. He moved out, hopefully permanently. Their tears didn’t even bring him back. Good for him.

There were a few parts I didn’t mind as much. The part where Megg’s mother died built some sympathy but simply was not enough to make her a likeable character. And I don’t usually mind if characters are unlikeable as long as the story is well-written. Which this book is not.

In one of the reviews on Goodreads, someone mentioned that this book stuck with them. And I can acknowledge that there is truth to that. This book is seared in my brain, possibly permanently. If I could wash it out with soap, I would do so.

Needless to say, I do not recommend this book for any audience.