Book Review - Meat and Bone by Kat Verhoeven (Patreon)

I recently read this monstrous book that I really enjoyed and I thought it would be nice to do a little bit of fanart and a mini book review! I won't give any MAJOR spoilers, but I will share some pages and key themes, so if you want to have a totally spoiler-free experience, READ NO FURTHER. But know that I do recommend this book and you should check it out (cw: anorexia) :)

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Ok so Meat and Bone is a graphic novel by Canadian artist Kat Verhoeven. The core of the book is about eating disorders. I would say that... if you have or ever had an eating disorder, and are sitting on a stockpile of food/not able to control your food perfectly in, like... i dunno, some kinda quarantine situation... maybe skip this one for now haha. But! If you find yourself in a position of strength regarding your eating disorder, or never had an eating disorder... definitely check this one out!

Eating disorders and body dysmorphia issues are frighteningly common. I myself have struggled with them in the past, and like many people I know contend with body image issues, still. It was really interesting seeing that kind of narrative being the focus of this work, because I feel like it is rarely explored in media, despite being so SO common. The characters in this work and their struggles were really authentic and compelling. 

I was really fascinated especially with the character Marshal (depicted in my fanart), who I suppose you could say is the primary antagonist of the work. She's a "bad influence" friend, which is another kind of relationship that's not as commonly explored, especially within female friendships. All the characters in the work are flawed, and Kat pulls no punches in exploring Marshal's deep flaws as a character. Despite this, she manages to keep the character sympathetic and human, which is an incredible feat for the author. 

The two main themes of the work, I think, are "self acceptance" and "complicated relationships", which are explored through the lens of many different characters. Complicated polyamorous relationships are explored, as are complicated relationships between oneself and their work. 

On top of exploring really interesting subject matter and being really narratively strong, I love the art in this book. The style is really well honed and distinct, and Kat Verhoeven is a talented colourist as well. Every scene has a distinct pallete that underscores the mood of the scene. Even if you have never thought about eating disorders, or complicated relationships... this is a book worth checking out because of the way it uses the medium. It's "good comix" y'all :))

Have you read Meat and Bone? Would you like more mini book/media reviews in the future? Let me know :)