Artist-illustrator Meichi Ng muses on life, work and relationships in Barely Functional Adult, an adorably offbeat essay-memoir illustrated in the style of her Instagram webcomic of the same name.
In the opening chapter, "My Pet Fish," Ng uses her experience as a pet owner to illustrate her observation that life is "fickle, it's messy, and sometimes there are frog rectal explosions. You just gotta roll with it." Each chapter deals with a part of adulthood many readers will respond to, written as eloquent, thoughtful text passages interspersed with four-color comic panels starring Ng's ovular, swaddled alter ego. In "The Long Con," she faces the common problem of imposter syndrome. "The Glory of Quitting" deals with the fear and euphoria of walking away after choosing the wrong path in life. Ng's struggle to let go of an idealized relationship plays out in "Gum," in which her unforgettable ex is portrayed as a wad of gum stuck to her illustrated self.
Ng strikes the right balance between pointing out life's injustices, finding the humor in them and offering the hope of resolution. Her comic strip interludes provide the perfect counterpoint to the more serious tone of her prose. She has a natural sense of metaphor, whether she's explaining therapy as an exercise in deciding which jars of feelings to open or comparing silent job dissatisfaction with enduring a mouthful of wasps. Fans of Hyperbole and a Half and Strange Planet will appreciate Ng's mix of introspection, humor and cute comic characters facing uncomfortable situations. --Jaclyn Fulwood, blogger at Infinite Reads