A collection of short comic strips that together make up a sort of composite graphic novel. Like most of Barry's work that I've read, it's noticeable for two things. The first is that everything's from the POV of a kid or young person - in this case, the sisters Maybonne and Marlys - and this is evident not just in the voices of the narrators but in the art, which very much looks like a children's scrawl in places. (I don't particularly love Barry's artwork, but it's still very clearly considered.) Barry's child-voice has always struck me as enormously effective, precisely because it's so realistic. The kids, especially Marlys, bounce from topic to topic. It's random and a little weird and dead-on recognisable. 

The second is that this voice is used to talk around topics that the kids don't fully understand, issues such as date rape and homophobia and how to feel when your country's at war. Barry is very, very good at this. This isn't a children's comic. It's a comic that uses children to communicate with other adults, and to force them to think. It can be quite funny in places, but more often it's bleak, even a little tragic, especially as this family is totally dysfunctional, and the kids live with grandma after being abandoned by both parents.

I think my favourite comic in here is "Sorry Story," in which the girls' brother Freddie writes a book report about colonialism. He doesn't quite understand colonialism, so he's describing everything as an adventure story, one in which brutality is on full display. It's horrifying and sad and very clever all at once.