Scan barcode
ir_sharp2's review against another edition
2.0
Eh. Weird. I don't really *get* graphic novels. This one was...weird. It would have been better if the story were a novel. I HATE abrupt endings, too. Ugh. Oh, and really don't care for the C.U.Next.Tuesday word. So all in all, maybe 1.5 stars for me. I just don't get it.
meghan111's review against another edition
3.0
This reminded me of the movie Margot at the Wedding. It's a thick book but it doesn't take long to read.
mazloum's review against another edition
5.0
A heartfelt examination of the lives of the Loony family, which really excels at painting each character as their very own unique person, in the very mundane way people tend to be. There's something very genuine and believable about the ways Shaw's characters act in light of the decision their parents make, how one of the sons slowly falls apart, how his daughter focuses on her own relationship with her daughter, and so on.. Still unsure what to make of Peter and his relationship with the...beach camp counselor? His persona as the weird sad loner seems too basic, but his interactions - when not-cringeworthy - were fun to experience.
A book that shows off all the ways a graphic novel can excel.
A book that shows off all the ways a graphic novel can excel.
amberhayward's review against another edition
5.0
I read this book on public transit on a very busy day with very bad weather. And not just in my town. But all over the world. Anyhow. I read it and finished it and had my initial impressions. I liked it. It had some ham-fisted rhetoric (he's NOT some kind of frog/boy hybrid you say?! He only sees HIMSELF as a frog?!) but like other graphic novels my brain will lump this in with (i.e. Ghost World) a lot of the dialogue (and inner monologue) is dead on in a way that is hard to get with just prose. The visual style works great with the writing. But still, you know. I just liked it.
Then I came home and ate some food & googled a translation of a letter in the book. It was written by in code by the husband of a divorcing couple 40 years prior:
http://myriadissues.blogspot.com/2008/07/breaking-bottomless-belly-button-code.html
And it seemed less ham-fisted and more honest and heart breaking and excellent. This passage that most (or at least some) people probably never go back and figure out was the key to the whole thing for me even though there were similar letters and ideas throughout the novel. Well played, Dash Shaw. Well played.
Then I came home and ate some food & googled a translation of a letter in the book. It was written by in code by the husband of a divorcing couple 40 years prior:
http://myriadissues.blogspot.com/2008/07/breaking-bottomless-belly-button-code.html
And it seemed less ham-fisted and more honest and heart breaking and excellent. This passage that most (or at least some) people probably never go back and figure out was the key to the whole thing for me even though there were similar letters and ideas throughout the novel. Well played, Dash Shaw. Well played.
saidtheraina's review against another edition
3.0
The story of one family - including elderly parents, three adult children, one daughter in law, and two children - as the kids come home for a visit after the news that the parents are getting a divorce. Everyone reacts in their own ways.
For one thing, this seemed pretty blatantly autobiographical. The title infers self-inspection, and one character (and only one) is depicted as having the head of a frog in all but one frame (where he is asking a love interest if he looks like a frog). I admire the fictionalized autobiography as a rule, and I loved how Shaw was able to pick out this one short period of time for his piece.
Also, the craft here is truly notable. Shaw is an innovator, playing with the number of frames per page, placement, including maps, picking out mundane acts... I could go on. Truly admirable and affecting, even though the drawings themselves aren't particularly accessible or beautiful at first glance.
For one thing, this seemed pretty blatantly autobiographical. The title infers self-inspection, and one character (and only one) is depicted as having the head of a frog in all but one frame (where he is asking a love interest if he looks like a frog). I admire the fictionalized autobiography as a rule, and I loved how Shaw was able to pick out this one short period of time for his piece.
Also, the craft here is truly notable. Shaw is an innovator, playing with the number of frames per page, placement, including maps, picking out mundane acts... I could go on. Truly admirable and affecting, even though the drawings themselves aren't particularly accessible or beautiful at first glance.
iantaylor's review against another edition
5.0
Despite the multiple, very clearly stated, "not for children" notices across the book, I read this for the first time about a dozen years ago, when I was around the age of 14 or so. I can remember being struck by so many of the factors introduced in the book (the vignette style of depictions of emptiness, the surreal character design of Peter, the unflinchingly explicit sexuality) and now, at 26, I feel exactly the same. It was such an interesting comparison to see what hit home present day versus during my initial reading, and while it is very safe to say the "not for children" labeling is extremely accurate (like... VERY accurate) I am glad at the end of the day to have had that experience. As contradictory as it sounds, I think the best way I could describe this masterpiece is "full of emptiness". Oddly hilarious at times, heartbreaking in the most mundane manner, and numbing to the senses. It most definitely will not take another 12 years before my next reading of Bottomless Belly Button this time around, 10/10
(PS, if you have not seen the films of Dash Shaw they are equally incredible)
(PS, if you have not seen the films of Dash Shaw they are equally incredible)
shellfish152's review against another edition
5.0
This book was really good. A dysfunctional family and a guy that has trouble with girls. Reading this book made me forget about my own dysfunctional family. I love books that have a lot of harsh reality in them. This was definitely one of those! Such a good read for a change to my fictional books.
kricketa's review against another edition
3.0
i found this lengthy graphic novel very intriguing, but once i came to the end i felt like i had missed some important information while reading. i did read it over the span of several weeks, so i figured it was me and started over. got halfway through again and decided it wasn't me, it was dash shaw.
the style is interesting. shaw is clearly a talented artist, but all of his characters are really unpleasant to look at. there's lots of shots of them being sad in the shower. some of them constantly wear gloves. i'm sure this is symbolic of something but i cannot tell you what. i thought about delving into this but ultimately decided i didn't care.
"pretentious" is a word i might use for this book. but i still liked it, in a weird sort of way. i can't really explain it.
the style is interesting. shaw is clearly a talented artist, but all of his characters are really unpleasant to look at. there's lots of shots of them being sad in the shower. some of them constantly wear gloves. i'm sure this is symbolic of something but i cannot tell you what. i thought about delving into this but ultimately decided i didn't care.
"pretentious" is a word i might use for this book. but i still liked it, in a weird sort of way. i can't really explain it.