Jeffrey Brown had successfully won me over with all his charmingly aching might with Clumsy, and I was more than eager to have the chance to read his follow-up, Unlikely, which, I was told, acted as a “prequel” of sorts to Clumsy.

Indeed, it recounts the autobiographical events surrounding the development and subsequent ruination of his previous relationship, the with the girl responsible for having him lose his virginity. This affair had been hinted at in Clumsy, and had obviously become a source of anguish for the already fretful Brown; Unlikely’s title foreshadows nothing positive, regardless if one read the previous novel or not.

Brown’s art style once again serves as a direct pipeline to the story’s emotional bulk, as his unsure, nervous lines help convey the overwhelming delicate narrative of his story, emphatically retelling elements of oft-endearing intimacy and heatwrenching dejection. Unlike in Clumsy, the timeline isn’t fractured, dispersing that still-vivid, open wound sorrow which prevailed that particular work. Instead, Brown’s approach, while still quite raw, has a sense of rationalisation and peace, making Unlikely feel like it was the final step enabling himself to put that whole messy, miserable situation behind him.

Book: Unlikely

Author: Jeffrey Brown

Publisher: Top Shelf Productions

Next: The Golden Compass