I really liked this. It's basically the story about two siblings dealing with school, friendships, family, significant others, mental disabilities, sanity, love, and finding your place in the world.

The art is beautiful and creative and just fun.

I read this all in one go, and it was a very enjoyable read. I loved all the characters - with all of their many, many flaws - and the story was brilliantly written, scripted, and worked, from beginning to end.

One thing that really stuck out to me was the relationship at the heart of this story: the two siblings, Ruth and Perry. In a world where fictional sibling relationships are constantly wrought with conflict, anger, jealousy, and avoidance, it is completely refreshing to see a close-knit, loving relationship between two kids. And not just two kids: two step-siblings of different genders and pursuits. The way they relate to each other and spend time together and stick out for each other and relate to their blood-related and step-parent(s) is beautiful and truly engaging. As the child of two re-married divorcees, the family chemistry in this story really reached out to me, and it was just remarkably written.

If you have the time, pick this up and take a look. ( )

Summary: Ruth and Perry are stepsiblings, but they share a distinct bond: both of them struggle with seeing and hearing things that others can't. He sees a small wizard who forces him to draw; she sees bugs where there aren't, and hears the voices of the animals she collects. Adolescence is hard enough, with its struggles with authority, issues with fitting in, tempestuous relationships, and a complicated home life, but when you factor in mental illness, it starts to border on too much to cope with.

Review: This is a dark, dark book, one that was not easy to read. I mean that both in a literal and a metaphorical sense. It is graphically very dark, lots of shadows and black spaces and sketchy lines, oftentimes overwhelming the characters. The text is also typically very small and scratchy, enough so that it is frequently difficult if not impossible to read. It's clearly a stylistic choice, and it goes along with the tone of the story, but it does make you work (and squint) to understand what's going on. It's also not an easy book emotionally. There are no easy answers given here; no answers at all, most of the time, and you have to look very hard to find the hope in some very bleak situations. What was maybe the most painful was that these kids had no one - their parents didn't seem particularly aware of what they were struggling with, and they didn't even really open up to each other. "Harrowing" is maybe not *quite* the right word, but it's not far off, either. 3 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: I didn't exactly enjoy it, per se, although I can see that it would be particularly powerful in the hands of someone who is struggling or has struggled with mental illness, particularly teens. ( )

Strange ( )

Swallow me whole is an intense story. Offering a glimpse into the daily life of two teen siblings living with mental illness. This story shows the bond between siblings and the paths of growing up that lead us all in different directions. Full of accurate illustrations that reflect the text. This book creates a descriptive journey. ( )

Dark and disturbing and brilliant and sad and wholly engrossing back and white graphic novel. ( )