CBR16SweetChallenge #Exciting 
I have been trying to read Space Story by Fiona Ostby since I first heard about it. But something always stopped me. I lost my online link, the book was out of stock, or something would get in the way. I finally was able o get a copy via interlibrary loan and learned it might have been worth the wait, or not. I am still not sure as this is an odd book. A good book, but odd. The oddness mostly comes from the questions I had after reading. The biggest one is we are just assuming the world is ending as we are told that on the back of the book, Yet, I either missed the lead up saying this or it is never really said in the book. Of course, we can see that something is happening and the comment by a character, “It’s the end of the world if this thing happens” (and the response is that comment was in bad taste) says something is up, but the actual “facts” are very minimal. And, in fact, if you read the back of the book, you pretty much are told everything about the story. What you get from actually reading the graphic novel are the “little details” that are the most important part of things. They are the steak and potatoes, the main course, and the rest was appetizers. Therefore, pay attention to the littlest of things.
The biggest plus is the set up of the book. At first I was not sure why there were three main colors being used, but after a few minutes I was, “Oh, I get it. That’s neat.” (They will break up the three parts of the story). The art is nice, there are few details, but when they are there, watch them. They are more than just filling up space. But the best part is how the book is easily split into those three sections by the three colors: Yellow, Red and Blue. This is broken down into The Past of our two main characters, The Present of Character One, and The Present of Character Two. The past is present in yellow, Character One is in red and Character two is in blue. This helps you understand where the characters come from, where they are going and where they want to go. We see how a family grew in the middle of a dying world. Overall, things are nice, nothing really horrible happens, but there are moments that are touching, painful and when we are dealing with one charters depression, there are some scenes and wording that could be upsetting. Everything is for the most part realistic, relatable and sometimes a bit “pushy” but understandable.
The GLBTQ+ theme is strong, as well as a feminist movement (such as the main characters are both biological females who do not shave legs or underarms). I do not want to say this book is “pretentious” but there is a vanity element to the book that wants to have an Artistic Feeling to it. Yet, it is also just a lovely story of a family and their relatable story of love, sadness, and hope. This book has the feelings, the modernism of a not too distant potential future and is a bit “vanity work” and part thoughtful idea about the hope, love and self that the characters find in their journey. There might be one or two elements that are a bit over the top, but that just adds to the fun. Not for everyone, this book works well for older, slightly more mature readers to the oldest adult in the world.