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Goodbye Chunky Rice

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by Craig Thompson

Goodbye Chunky Rice is Craig Thompson's coda to saying goodbye, a reflection upon the things we lose and the things we leave behind. It's an exploration in sadness, remorse, regret and loneliness. Yet, despite these things, it is not a "heavy" book.

By design, the characters are bubbly and cartoony, likeable from the onset, even though we rarely see them in a state of happiness, but when we do, it's heartwarming.

As Chunky Rice drifts through the world on a voyage of discovery, his only hardship really is the loss of what he had to leave behind him, a familiar feeling for all. In fact, that is what makes Goodbye… so enticing and readable: the emotions and feelings are so innate, we relate without thought. There is no innocence to our cartoony friends (don't let their appearances fool you), which is both surprising and refreshing. For a turtle and a mouse to be the human center of the book makes them even more endearing and interesting.

Thompson's art, gracing black pages, is thick with contrasts of black and white, but the brightness of the white against black borders is enhanced by the real lack of shadows.

As depressing as it should be, Goodbye Chunky Rice is uplifting in its sadness. Its genuine connection to those base emotions in everyone make it a great book to curl up with on a rainy day, when you don't feel like being overjoyed, but you also don't want to be completely bummed out either. It's a friend, and a comfort.