The ABCs of Dinkology Review

In some ways, The ABCs of Dinkology is a hard book to describe. It seems simple enough to say that it is a combination novel/graphic novel and leave it at that, but to slap an easy label on something that defies labels doesn't seem fair.

What we have is a coming of age story in the vein of a John Hughes film in the 1980s - think "Sixteen Candles". In The ABCs of Dinkology, the main character, Max, opens the story awaiting the return of his girlfriend from college, and if you see where this is going, in Max's case, things turn out even worse than what you might anticipate for him. Naturally, this leads to the typical breakup angst, only it is magnified due to both the nature of the breakup and by other events that take place during the book. I would rather let the reader navigate these twists and turns without giving away more.

As far as the graphic novel sections, these fit seamlessly into the narrative. I was afraid it would come off as distracting or gimmicky, and it didn't at all. They were a natural part of the story, and served only to enhance rather than detract.

My only complaint was that the ending was rather abrupt - my understanding is that this is the first part of the story, but there is nothing in the book that indicates as such. Nonetheless, I am looking forward to the second chapter of this story, when it arrives!