FICTION

The Customer Is Always Wrong

by Mimi POND
illus. by Mimi Pond. 448p. Drawn & Quarterly. Aug. 2017. Tr $29.95. ISBN 9781770462823.
COPY ISBN
In Pond's autobiographical Over Easy, Madge left art school in the late 1970s and started waitressing at Oakland's Imperial Cafe. Where the first volume was a look at the characters she worked with and waited on, the sequel is grittier, the darker content belied by the pale turquoise and white watercolor illustrations. As the narrative moves into the 1980s, the hedonistic drug experimentation turns to the dangerous realities of dealing and overdosing. Madge struggles with the deaths of friends, unwanted pregnancy, and teenage runaways, and she worries about becoming stuck at the Imperial as she becomes a player in the drama instead of sardonically observing from the sidelines. Familiarity with the first volume is essential, as Pond does not provide context for the large cast of characters.
VERDICT A realistic and moving look at what happens when the veneer wears off and the party goes on too long. Recommended for collections that hold Pond's Over Easy.
Reviewed by Jennifer Rothschild, Arlington Public Library, VA , Jan 01, 2018

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