Reviews

The Inflatable Woman by Rachael Ball

jessicaleeparker's review against another edition

reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

aaron_j136's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 stars

600bars's review against another edition

4.0

This book is a doorstopper but unlike most graphic novels it only shows one panel at a time. It made me wish you could buy graphic novels in multiple formats, because sometimes panel layout really matters for the way the story is told but it’s also nice to be able to look at the art in such detail on a big page. Because it’s only one panel per page you can really fly through, so I had to force myself to go slowly and look at each page. The Inflatable Woman is about a lonely zookeeper named Iris who is diagnosed with breast cancer. She chats online with a guy named sailer_buoy_39 and pretends to be a prima ballerina. Iris is very lonely even though she has dedicated loved ones who accompany her to her chemo appts. She has her best friend Maud and her grandma and a gang of animals. I recently read the Undying by Anne Boyer, also a breast cancer memoir, and she wrote a lot about how difficult it was to go through the process without a romantic partner. Both Boyer and Iris have a support system and are not totally alone in the world, but the devotion of those loved ones is not recognized in the same way. Boyer’s frustration is that platonic love is not recognized by the medical system or society, but Iris herself doesn’t seem to recognize it and yearns for romantic love. I was worried that it was going to be one of those online romantic scams. There are a lot of dreams and magical realism in this book, so when Iris meets up with sailor_buoy_39 I wasn’t sure if that was happening irl or in her fantasy. Either way she gets her heart broken, but eventually heals.

Reading this reminded me of the experience of reading the Invention of Hugo Cabret. Probably just because it’s pencil drawings and big pages. These are much more whimsical and creepy than Brian Sleznick’s drawings.

mekeisha's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

noelles's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

alejcruz's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

keelyanne's review against another edition

4.0

3.75*

gildius's review against another edition

4.0

At the beginning of this book, Iris, a zookeeper, is diagnosed with breast cancer. Part of the story is her dealing with this diagnosis and the treatments that follow, but this is also a love story, as Iris tries to escape her reality by chatting online to a lighthouse keeper called Sailorbuoy_39.

There is a strong thread of magical realism running throughout this book, and I think Ball handles the emotions of this story very deftly.

Read the full review on my blog:

http://www.50ayear.com/2016/09/30/3-graphic-novels-women/

_dani's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

effy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.25

Following the protag's journey after she discovers that she has breast cancer, the reader is taken on the full emotional journey featuring numbness, denial, depression, and more. A very emotional read but also hopeful.