Seconds

Seconds is a graphic novel by Bryan Lee O'Malley, which was recommended to me by one of the other people on the last reading retreat I went on. It's a chunky single volume, with a bright cover an an appealing protagonist in the form of Katie, whose big eyes and spiky red hair make her very distinctive.

The plot isn't very original at heart. Katie is given the ability to change the past, rapidly starts abusing it until her world begins to unravel, and eventually learns that it's better to learn to live with her mistakes than try to mess with the timeline.

But O'Malley's approach is fresh and funny, particularly when Katie breaks the fourth wall and responds to what the omniscient narrator is saying. There are house spirits to be appeased, a dark shadow growing in the basement, multiple complex relationships to navigate, and a lot of great uses of layout and colour to add depth and visual interest to the story.

It only took me an hour to read the whole thing, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.