I Never Liked You: My Thoughts
By Chester Brown
Numb. That’s how this feels.
Yeah this is very relatable for me idk why. Chester Brown is just a master of combining text and these simply drawn images. It all feels distant but that adds an emotional punch to it all. It’s amazing.
This is just how growing up feels. A lot of time wasted on things which don’t end up mattering, hesitations, regrets, infatuations and so on. I can relate to that mother dying bit so hard. You imagine you’ll go and give strength and be the like beacon out there but when you arrive, it’s all gloom and hesitation and then the moment’s gone.
Yeah this is, even if it’s not as spicy a take as Paying for it, it stands on its own as a great piece. This is not very crowd-attracting, it’s not particularly tragic or anything or really an all encompassing view of adolescence but the tiny microscope view of the personal life really enhances the emotional impact. Yeah this is very nice.
It has metaphors and these moments, these pauses and hesitations which I found really beautiful. It’s also incredibly short and focused. Really, no complaints. I can totally understand that numb feeling and Chester Brown is imo the best at like minimalism but emotional art.
I liked how it just showcases what I considered a personal take which is basically, “the little things, the words, the lack of attention end up hurting the most.” I can relate to not wanting to follow my parents’ instructions, having endless stupid quarrels with family and then yeah. One of them goes and you look back and you just end up thinking about the quarrels and how you treated them poorly at some point or how at one point they became frustrated at you and said something mean and that just ends up sticking. I can understand not having proper definitive goodbyes, the frustration of love and being rejected and not being paid attention and yeah this was too relatable for me yeah jeez. Just a whole bad trip boy.
Update: like a few hours later, yeah this book was nice, but paying for it is still superior and tho most of it is amazing. Chester leading Carrie was kind of a dick move. Not cussing and all was also I get bullying but like yeah just fuck that shit bitch curse and lose the attention or something you righteous prick. He does subconsciously do this “Ah I’m such a victim” thing here, like fuck you show carrie more too. She isn’t just this obsessed about you girl. Idk. Carrie was treated wrong, lacked a bit of depth and though the lack of resolution was realistic, all the women in his life being head over heels in love with him and caring so much for him feels sexist. It’s raw so maybe it implies the young lead’s sexism but hey still sexism. Also could have had more Gordon instead of the more thinking about sex bits and also Gordon’s convos with him after mom’s death and all. Yeah.
