Thanks to NetGallery and Fantagraphics for this ARC!

First 2/3 of the book were available to me through this ARC and I can't wait to read the full book upon publication! A story for every grandchild who has been compared (for better or worse) to their same-sex grandparent, Otero tugs at the tightly-wound fibers of what "family" is and how it functions beyond just shared genetics, and demonstrates the ways in which, decades after the fact, we inherit our ancestor's burdens and sometimes still feel the reverberations of their pain.

The art is beautiful and dialogic, and Otero hits at a universal tension in Ro's identity as she prepares for her future by navigating coming into her own as an adult while simultaneously grappling with the past via traits and tribulations she inherits from her late grandmother. I am very much looking forward to seeing what Otero does next!

Mothballs is a must-read. I was immediately drawn in by the art style. I love the bold color palette and illustrative style, and how changes in color and style were used to compliment and progress the narrative. The graphics really added another layer of nuance to the storytelling.

Aside from the visuals, the story was also captivating. The characters and their relationships with one another held my interest throughout. The whole narrative is told through the perspective and knowledge of the granddaughter, and the story is definitely shaped by that. I will say that the ending is abrupt, but I actually liked that. It felt fitting that the narrator’s exploration of her family’s past and secrets wouldn’t be wrapped up so neatly with a bow at her age. I think the story will resonate with anyone who has reflected on their own family and had to reckon with how old secrets or events may play out in their own lives.

*Thank you to NetGalley, Fantagraphics Books, and Sole Otero for providing a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

The art style of this graphic novel is so unique and pleasing to the eye. [i have to admit, i struggled reading some of the script, but that might me a ME problem.] i didnt enjoy this story at first, but as i got deeper into the story, i was more and more interested. This novel graphic had me thinking about all the history of my family before i existed. My mother and grandmother were just girls once, and they had completely different lives. It makes me wonder how we all ended up here. The story made me really sad just because of the pain the granmother went through. She really had no body to support her; only empty promises from various people. I didn’t understand the connection between the two stories and i didnt see any development at all. The only change was the MC realizing she is just like her grandma. But the book ended and left me unsatisfied and hungry for more answers.

4.5 After her grandmother's death, she learns the truth of why her grandmother had such a bitter life and was so hard to get close to. The artwork is colorful and has a great art style. I love how the artist works the text against large forms and shapes but also small vibrant busy details.
I couldn't stop reading. It just takes us on a journey into the past of a woman who dies alone.
We explore how hard and filled with prejudice the families were (and still are) to rape, being queer, trying to survive in another country, and family relationships.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for the e-arc.

4⭐️ overall
-1/2⭐️ for the difficulty to read the words due to the cursive.
3.5⭐️ overall


Really pretty artwork.
I loved the limited color palette.

It told a compelling story that humanizes the grandma and shows how generational trauma can occur.

I preferred the panels where the texts weren’t cursive. The cursive made it harder to read and took away from my enjoyment of the story.

On Goodreads:

This graphic novel depicts how real generational trauma is. How without realizing we repeat the cycle. In this graphic novel Rocio puts together what really happened to her grandmother as her family immigrated to Buenos Aires from Italy and how people settle, begrudgingly with their life. Rocio needs to decide if she wants to be like her grandmother or break the cycle .

The art work in this novel is beautiful with rich colors and detailed depiction of life. This impass is far too familiar with families, especially within the Latino families. Some did a great job.

I’d like to thank Netgalley, fantagraphics and Sole Otero for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Not bad.

The story is interesting, but occasionally the plot was all over the place. I also didn’t quite get some of the main character’s behaviour / attitude.

I liked the art style. It’s rather simple, but still nice to look at.

The font, while pretty, is a terrible choice. It’s often not easy to decipher, not only because of the cursive writing, but also because of the size. I think it should have been changed to something more easy to read.

Overall a decent book with a couple of weaknesses.

Thanks to NetGalley and Fantagraphics for the ARC!

I loved this! It’s been years since I’ve read a graphic novel, and this reminded me why I used to enjoy them so much.

The book has an absolutely gorgeous art style and color palette, and I appreciated how it situated such a “small” story within a very particular historical context. More than that, though, I was amazed at how effectively the complex nuances of family relationships were depicted in such a limited space, both literally within terms of the book’s length and figuratively within Otero’s decision to contain the 2001 storyline in a single house.

It looks like the galley might be missing the last third of the book, probably to build hype, and if that's the case, it worked—I look forward to reading a print version of this later.

This stunning and stylistic graphic novel had me from the first page! The art style and limited color palette were so comforting and pleasing to guide me right through the turbulent subject matter. Everything about this appealed to me. The story was so well told and the string of generational trauma and repetitive patterns was clear throughout. So many moments of intricately crafted panels and pages that lead you through the scenes as if you’re really, truly in them, even in a two-dimensional world.

Mothballs reminded me of everything I love about graphic novels. They can tell the most gripping and devastating story while using a cozy art style that makes it all feel easier to digest and it still hits you just as hard in the chest. If anything the beautiful illustrations just make the story hit you harder as you’re conflicted between literary sadness and artistic awe.

If this is something that appeals to you whether it’s the art style or the emotional story beats, do not hesitate to pick this one up! I’m very seriously considering treating myself to a physical copy to add to my bookshelves next to Persepolis and Unterzakhn

Thank you to NetGalley and Fantagraphics for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I hope there’s a second book! It was a book of a woman’s history and hardship and I want to read more. This book was amazing!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

3.5 Rounded Up
I have very mixed feelings about this graphic novel. The tone of the story is pretty serious and reflects what happened to a lot of women during those time periods. But the plot pacing of this story was all over the place. You learn quite a bit about the great-grandmother and the grandmother, but barely anything about the granddaughter. The way the plot jumps between the past and the present is a bit sloppy. I was always jarred when the time period suddenly shifted. I recognize that this story is meant to show how generational trauma affects each generation after it. But it just didn't vibe with me. The ending was incredibly abrupt as well and felt like it stopped in the middle. The art style is certainly unique, but I found myself disliking it more and more the longer I read. Something about the characters having teeny tiny heads but giant bodies was off-putting to me. Also, the front choices were criminal. I could barely read the cursive font, even when I zoomed into the panel.

Loved the art and the storyline. No one is inherently good or evil and sometimes family isn’t who you think they are

The story itself is interesting and the art is great! I love their style and how they make thinks more punctuated with their art. The drawings are amazing! However, the text was so tiny and I hate the curviness of it. As someone suffering from post concussive syndrome it was incredibly difficult to get through. I think the font being changed would completely warp the story and create a better more interesting read, simply as someone who cannot stand small curvy writing.

I finished this wanting to read more!!! I loved the art style, the colors, and the way the writing shows/feels like her inner thoughts. This is for sure something I would see being sold at my work.

This was such an interesting way to look into a family history. I loved the artwork SO much. There's something about it that is so beautiful and interesting about it.
The way that the storylines are depicted through the change in colours and font of the writing was well done. The two time lines were also well balanced in terms of content.

Mothballs was a really interesting story of multiple generations of a family from Italy to Argentina. I appreciated the mix of timelines, as well as how Ro (the present day character) is a lot like her grandmother. I will say that the ending was very abrupt. I could have used a few more pages wrapping up how Ro learned from her grandmother and maybe ended up different. Definitely TW for sexual assault. I liked the illustrations and thought they were well done without being too cartoonish.

My one critique is the use of script lettering- it's small and can make it difficult to decipher the words at times. I'd recommend block lettering.

Gosh, this was a good book. I didn't love the art but a wonderful look at family and exploring grief.

Thanks so much NetGalley!
I loved the way this book explored trauma and I’m going to recommend it to my mother because I think she’d find some healing from it. I, too, found some healing from it because I’ve had similar experiences to the main character.
I think one of the best things about Mothballs is that it adds cultural context to things that are inherently Argentinian! I’m Mexican-American, and while there’s overlap between cultures I don’t know a lot about Argentinian media. But whenever they referenced a magazine or a type of candy in Argentina, they’d always add a little not at the bottom of the page to clarify. Greatly appreciated it 10/10! And super super fun character design, I loved the big body/little head people and the CAT was such a good character.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ePub!

Mothballs by Sole Otero is a truly heart-wrenching experience in graphic novel format and deeply personal to me now. I’ve lost grandparents before, and I learned so much of their lives only after they passed. In that sense I was able to connect to the main character, Rocio, as she spent the entirety of the graphic novel trying to unravel the secrets her grandmother left behind.

The Good: The art style was very unique. I loved seeing the very large bodies and small heads, and I adored the use of color and how it changed depending on what narrative was being explored. I thought it did a phenomenal job exploring the trickle-down effect of generational trauma, and how it negatively impacts generations to come unless healing occurs.

The Critiques: I don’t have many issues with this book, but I do think that the cursive writing becomes difficult to read at times. About half of the story is written using the cursive handwriting, and while I understand it’s likely to give it a handwritten feel, it’s a little inaccessible.

All in all, I thought Mothballs was a great read. While NetGalley did not have the original Spanish copy of the story, I absolutely plan on reading Naftalina when it’s published in 2024 to compare the translation with the original text!

⅘ stars.

I’d love to read Naftalina to compare the English translation with the original Spanish writing :)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

5/5 stars overall
5/5 stars for art
4/5 stars for story

Wow. A gut punch for sure. Mothballs follows Rocio as she moves into her recently departed Grandmother's house, where she works through her grief and learns her grandmother's life story. Sole Otero's art style is gorgeous and kind of funky; everyone has a very tiny head compared to very large bodies. I loved it. The colors were deeply saturated, and I found it a bold but effective choice to have no separation between panels. Truly a remarkable graphic novel, one that I definitely recommend to those who love graphic novels, as well as to those who aren't as familiar with the genre.