Before picking up Precious Rubbish by Kayla E., I had absolutely no idea what I was in for. But as the pages turned, I found myself completely entranced by this incredible and groundbreaking work of trauma recollection, told through strikingly bold, cartoonish art.
I could write sentence after sentence about Precious Rubbish, but all my attempts at explaining the story would be simply futile. In truth, Kayle E.’s landmark debut novel simply has to be read to be understood. But I’ll give you the general idea. Published by Fantagraphics, Precious Rubbish is the experimental graphic memoir of its author, Kayla E., who weaves together tales with the stunning aesthetics of mid-century children’s comics — it’s truly gorgeous work.
The author recollects her childhood, and its myriad trials and tribulations, through various short-form comics, splash pages, and even interactive pages like satirical advertisements (such as those popularised by British magazine Viz), fun games, puzzles, paper dolls, recipe cards — the list goes on. Precious Rubbish invites you, the reader, to get involved in a number of ways beyond simply reading.
Narratively, Precious Rubbish requires the beholder to do a lot of digging; the timeline is staggered, and the comics may need you to read between the lines. It approaches its stories with a degree of intimacy. And as the story unfolds, you’ll (sometimes guiltily) laugh and you’ll find yourself heartbroken. As they say, if you don’t laugh you’ll cry.
Set in a small town in Texas, the graphic memoir delves into Kayla E.’s traumatic upbringing. Her childhood saw the divorce of her abusive mother and distant father. And also, being the victim of abuse from her brother. Despite the juvenile style and pop of the art, this is not a comic for children.
Verdict
So to put it straight, I think Precious Rubbish is a magnificent debut work. Kayla E. deserves an immense amount of praise. Her creative approach, which weaves together a tremendous amount of juxtaposition, is triumphant. Her techniques make the heavy themes accessible to readers. I can’t recommend it enough.
Precious Rubbish is out April 8th, 2025. You can learn more about the work as well as pre-order it on Fantagraphics here.
Rating: 5/5
