Koko Be Good: 01/25/18

Koko Be Good by Jen Wang is one of those books that will forever be associated with a time and a place. It was the first book I read in my new-to-me house. I read it at a time when I had just gotten the keys to it and the only furniture in there was a folding table, folding chairs, a futon, and two mattresses on the floor. Basically it wasn't much different than Koko's attic hideaway, just on a larger scale. And like Koko I felt like an interloper.

The titular character wants to be good. She's been living as a grifter and inspiration strikes. She decides the best way to make her life meaningful is to be good. But how exactly to do that exactly isn't clear. She will try all the things.

On the other hand, there's Jon, who is so committed to being good that he has decided to give up his passion for music to follow his girl friend to Peru for a humanitarian mission. He's doing it because it's what he's supposed to do but with no particular reasoning beyond that.

Though the setting is San Francisco the art style (especially character design) and fast paced scenes remind me of the Giant Days comic (John Allison, et al). Koko reminds me of Esther and Jon reminds me of Ed Gemmel — for body language and general philosophy on life.

Five stars

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