Mothballs reminded me a lot of Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi in the way the focus is seemingly upon a youthful protagonist with a simple yet highly unique and stylized design. The artwork by far was my favorite part about the novel vibrant at times and dull in the darkness or within flashbacks that lacked the vibrancy of the "modern" aspects. The artwork also shines in scenes such as the sexual assault of the grandmother, where her lover and assaulter forms into an all consuming snake. Despite denying in dialogue with a young Ro about the encounter, it is clear through the portrait the audience is given that the lying man is likely as horrific in her (grandmothers) mind as it is ours. I also appreciated that the scene did not feel unneeded or exploitative which I personally feel can be an issue often in regards to sexual assault in media.

For the most part I really enjoyed the story. I find family drama and conflict to be highly captivating and given the time that many of the flashbacks are in and how they are told to our nineteen year old protagonist, I love how unreliable it feels --- not because Rocio is misleading the audience but because she has been told differing events from a variety of family members all of her life. We don't know if Ro's father is the son of the assaulter or if he is the son of the grandmothers husband, it is clear that her brother is queer but I wonder in the few hints of dialogue if he is a trans individual rather than gay. That isn't even a super relevant point in the novel but it was fascinating to see their relationship and how to the grandmother, her sibling "cross-dressing" was not an issue even in the time period. Within this it also reflects how similar Ro is with her grandmother with the older woman seemingly more open minded and progressive before life wronged her.

My only issues with the novel were the text. I loved the unique choices of font but the cursive used more often than the other to discuss the grandmothers life is a bit wide and some of the letters blur together, it had me guessing what was being said quite often. It could just be a me problem, I have a hard time reading cursive but it was a bit of a pain. I also do wish the ending was a bit less blunt, I was not paying attention to the page count and was surprised that it ended just like that. Regardless though, I enjoyed it a lot and think it would be a great read for people who like more grounded graphic novels like Persepolis and others. The themes of family, a sort of girlhood, and generational trauma are all ones you don't get to see visualized often and I loved seeing how Ro's story could even relate to my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this graphic novel in exchange for my honest opinion! Mothballs is something that spoke dearly to my heart, as someone who has had their own share of traumatic events with dysfunctional families. Rocio's journey through the events of her grandmother's memories, as well as her own life, shows a generational cycle that she herself struggles to break. So many unfortunate circumstances were shown in this novel, each of them pulled at my heart. I believe sometimes people think it's easier to self-isolate than face problems head-on, something everyone in Rocio's family seemed to do. Although the book ended quite abruptly and left many unanswered questions, I still enjoyed the illustrations as well as the lessons the author imparted. If ever another book was to be released chronicling Rocio's journey, I would definitely be open to reading it.

This graphic novel was a waste of time reading.

There was no point in the main character being in the novel when nothing was about her except at the very end when there was an unexplained comparison between her and her grandmother that hardly made any sense. While the grandmother’s story was a tragic one, I couldn’t bring myself around to liking her as a character because of the constant bitterness and negativity towards everything. Sure, bad things happen to good people but there is always room to make a decision, change your perspective and live life differently. Trust me, I would know. The ending was abrupt and also held no meaning as did most of the graphic novel.

The style of illustrations used wasn’t a favourite of mine nor was it anything great. The cursive writing used throughout most of the novel was an eye sore and added to deciding on my rating.

Not sure how to feel about this graphic novel trying to truthfully analyse grief, especially towards someone we don't know how to feel about.
This work is about ambivalent emotions and deceptions and lives not lived. This is also about seeing patterns repeat themselves, because that's what we always notice in families, there is those stange pattern of repeated misery or at the very least events...
It's interesting, and we very much feel for this grandmother who didn't get to live her life and became bitter and floated out of time...
Can't say I felt very much for the main character who is rather entitled, and the ending was very abrupt so I'm left feeling just as ambivalent as the main character.
The art is interesting, very expressive and I enjoyed those stretches of events that unfold without words. The text actually is a little difficult to read because of the cursive italic font chosen. It really could have used a more neutral font so as not to distract from imagery.

This is a fantastic comic book that tackles some tough issues, and I couldn't have started the year with a better choice. I liked the blocky portrayal of the characters from the beginning, spiced up with the blush so typical of children's books. In places, it reminded me of Repeta because of the SIMS view of the flat with the walls. It also gave a very 2000s feel, and I particularly liked the visual representation of the landline phone conversations. Also, it plays cleverly with light, which has a big part to play not just for the photography.
His focus is on generational patterns and growing up, which he puts into an even more complex context because of the two parallel storylines. In the present, the granddaughter moves to her apartment after the death of his grandmother, where the ghost of the old woman will not let him rest, and his mother still wants to influence his life. In the past, we get the story of Grandma's family, who fled to Argentina to escape Mussolini. Mostly it shows the traumas of women, starting with the great-grandmother who can't quite find her place in the new world. As a family, they have to cope with the difficulties of the great-grandfather becoming an alcoholic, and also, because they don't have much money, only the grandmother's gay brother could study, and he didn't want to do that at all. But to make matters worse, Mummy is raped and forced into a forced marriage. After all these traumas, at the end of the book I could hardly get a word in edgewise.

I am eager to finish Mothballs upon publication after reading the first 200 pages courtesy of NetGalley. Otero uses the graphic novel format to tell the story of how trauma and grief lives in subsequent generations. There is a stifling, closed in feeling to the art as Rocio moves into the inherited home of her grandmother, Vilma, with fleas and the haunting questions of who her grandmother was and how she came to the end of her life with so few relationships. The Argentine setting weaves the political situations of Italy in the 20th century and Argentina in the 21st into a greater story of a family. The sample ended at a place in the story that makes we want to see how Rocio deals with this legacy. One aspect that took from my enjoyment of the novel was the choice of cursive script for lettering. It was difficult to read. Though I wonder if it was an artistic choice as it is used when the story is focused on the past and changes to clearer lettering in the present, The choice certainly impacted me in feeling pulled down in those sections, unable to move easily through this difficult story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for access to the partial eARC.

This story truly tugged at my heart strings. Grief has always been complicated and seeing it an perspective of a young woman discovering the truth of her origins brings a set of challenges

The story was wonderful as was the artwork. The flashback scenes were difficult to read due to the font in which was used. This could be because I read this on a kindle device and not in a physical copy.

Thank you for providing me this ARC, dearest publisher and NetGalley. As an exchange, here I offer you my small review.

I adore the idea for this book. I love the message too and oh, the art style is so pleasing to the eyesㅡthe vibrant colors are so wonderful! However, there is a miss in this masterpiece that slows me down. The choice of font for the past times is hard to read, I constantly squinted my eyes and that was unpleasant for me.

All in all, I managed to enjoy the book. Thank you so much!

In life, we are always so quick to judge, be it a stranger, a friend, or even a family member. We only see what's on the outside but never really see what is going on inside. This book made me look deeply at myself and how I judge others.

Wow! This book broke my heart and made me open my eyes. The storytelling was wonderful and really digs deep into your soul. Not many books make me see how I treat others but this one sure did. It touched me and all I wanted to do was call my Mom-Mom. Sadly, I couldn't but I hope she knows that I was thinking about her.

I could not put this one down due to the flow of the words and the gorgeous illustrations. Paired together made this a perfect and beautiful story.

this was fascinating as well as captivating throughout the storyline although i expected it to be more raw

I didn’t know this was a translation from a Spanish graphic novel. And I really like it but am sure am going to re reading this.
By the way the art is gorgeous

Absolutely stunning illustrations, as well as a great examination of the impact of long-term sexual abuse. Not two things you expect to see together; so I was very pleasantly surprised by this graphic novel. There was also an emphasis on death and grieving as it follows the main character after her grandmother has passed (not a spoiler, all in the synopsis or first pages I promise!) Mothballs had a great and powerful message at its core, delivered the message with just the right balance of delicacy and "oomph" behind it, and will not be forgotten by me in this lifetime!

Roscio is adrift, so she retreats to the house her grandmother left her after her recent death. Moving in, she has work to do - cleaning and repairs, not to mention studing for exams. But Roscio is unable to move forward, and she can't help but think about her grandmother, surrounded by her memories. Her grandmother, Vilma, was not an easy woman to know, and Roscio is bothered that her passing seemed to affect so few people. What if she is more like Vilma than she realizes? Will she make the same mistakes? Can families break cycles they are barely aware of?

The artwork was absolutely to my liking, however even though the plot intrigued me, it failed to maintain my interest.

Mothballs is an emotional read perfect for any reader who enjoys multi-generational family sagas and complex familial dynamics. Rocio's struggle to live up to her family's expectations is relatable, and her recounting of her grandmother and great grandmother's pasts are full of emotion. They art style is very fluid and colorful, and I personally found it appealing.

The translation of the text to English is also well done but I will say, for me personally, the cursive sections were quite difficult to read.

based on where the story ended in the digital arc I was provided (about 2/3rds of the way through) I'd give this book about 3.5 stars because I wasn't able to read the emotional resolution to the plot, but I imagine the whole text with the full resolution may deserve a higher rating than that.

Thanks to NetGalley and Fantagraphics for this ARC!

Since only the first 2/3 of the graphic novel was available through this ARC I can't provide a full review but will hopefully be able to update this once it is published! Because of this, it ended rather abruptly (which made more sense once I figured out it wasn't the whole book).

I loved the art style used by Sole Otero throughout the book - it really added to the story and stuck with me after reading. The story is a bit hard to follow at times as it jumps back and forth in time but after a couple jumps you get the hang of it. It is a beautiful exploration of womanhood, societal expectations of women (in the past and today), and how complicated family can be.

Looking forward to reading the rest and reading more from Otero!

If you're going to put arcs out there why put partials? Apparently only the first two thirds of this book is available if you received an arc from NetGalley. It ends super abruptly and I was confused for a moment until I realized that I was only a page 200 something and the publication page said 300 something pages. I don't logically understand why you would not give your advanced readers the full book. This does not make me want to go back and finish it. This is frustrating.

The worst part is is that this book is really captivating and the artwork is interesting and I do kind of want to finish the book but I'm mad that it wasn't included. I've literally never had that happen before with an advanced copy and it's so weird to me.

Anyway I'm counting it as a book anyway because I needed this to finish out 2023.

Mothballs is a powerful graphic novel about secret family histories, conflicts between generations, and forming one’s own identity despite societal expectations.

Nineteen-year-old Rocio’s grandmother Vilma dies, and Rocio inherits her house. Rocio’s relationship with her grandmother was strained; Rocio’s interest in photography, as well as other things, angered Vilma. As Rocio considers her own future, she discovers the struggles her grandmother went through, and how arbitrary expectations placed upon women ruined her life.

Stories concerning generational trauma absolutely devastate me. Vilma was rightfully furious with how her life had turned out, but her inability to meaningfully connect with Rocio was heartbreaking. I enjoyed the variety of perspectives in this book.

Sole Otero’s illustrations are wonderful. I love her use of color, switching between vibrant color schemes for the two timelines. My one issue, and this may be just me, but I found the cursive text difficult to read on occasion. But I suppose it could be seen as a positive, as it ensured I fully concentrated on the story, and didn’t skip anything.

I will gladly read anything Fantagraphics publishes, and Mothballs is no exception. A harrowing and important story.

Fascinating and literary visual storytelling. This is a character-centered story and one that’s a treat for comics lovers.