Nocturne

In this vibrant and vulnerable graphic novel, Booth pulls no punches: the first page is a vision of a thick-thighed woman sporting a purple strap-on dildo, surrounded by a sea of velvety red. The surreal, wordless story painted in richly textured gouache follows the woman’s night as she plunges from awkward sex into a sleeping-pill-induced delusion. Characteristic of Booth’s style, the characters’ crudely rendered faces and fleshy bodies pop from pages soaked with brazen colors. As the pills take effect, the pajama-wearing protagonist is surrounded by chaotic swirls of midnight blue and a menacing neon-yellow butterfly, as she then smashes a slice of blood-red cake into her mouth, feasting vigorously. This provocative, slim volume is a vivid roller-coaster ride that indulges in the highs and lows of unique, grotesque bodily impulses. (Sept.)