Lost at Sea, by Bryan Lee O'Malley

I was originally on the fence regarding reading this one.  The graphic novel Seconds was the first work I read by Mr. O'Malley, and I really enjoyed it.  I found it to be as engaging and appealing as Scott McCloud's The Sculptor.  After reading Seconds, I learned that he was the author of the graphic novel series that the film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was based on (a film which is on my "to see" list, but I still have not gotten around to watching).  So, I read that entire series and enjoyed it.

I was looking for whatever else this author had written, and found only Lost at Sea (although Snotgirl was being worked on, but was unreleased at the time).  Immediately, the book didn't look as appealing to me, and I waffled about getting it for quite some time.  In the end, I broke down and got it in paperback.  I figured it must be just as good as his other works.

I figured wrong - at least for me, since this does seem to be a highly regarded story.  The recommendation on the back cover is:  "If you've ever been eighteen, or confused, or both, maybe you should read this book."

Well, I've been both, and now I've read it, but in the end I just couldn't identify with Raleigh.  For me, the story just wasn't as engaging or interesting as Seconds or Scott Pilgrim.  This is in line with my initial reaction to the story in this book - but, I frequently take a chance when I am hesitant about a book, because more than half the time it does pay off.  In this case, it didn't.

I'm not saying this is a bad book, because I do see how others could identify with this, but it just didn't work for me.  Perhaps I'm too far beyond the age of 18 to identify with it?  I don't feel that should be the case.

Anyway, I will end with saying that this story is extremely different from Scott Pilgrim and Seconds as a warning to potential readers that this book just might not be for you if that is the kind of story you are looking for.  Or, you can take a chance like I did, and maybe it will work out for you.