BIG UGLY HC

Ellice Weaver’s character study of two adult siblings is not necessarily a fun read. It’s awkward, sometimes abrasive, contemplative, and quietly moving. In the manner of the best storytelling, it has a lot to say but doesn’t need to scream from the hilltops to say it. The conversations between lead characters Mels and Matt have no need for melodrama to draw the reader in, but rather (mostly) hinge on the quieter moments that define family dynamics, and the replayed dramas that only siblings can understand. But Big Ugly is not just a finely constructed character piece: Weaver’s beautiful, bold art gives the turning of each page its own small frisson, paid off in the revelation of line, colour and layout. All of which is to say: it’s bloody good!