Sloth

by Gilbert Hernández

Book Overview

"SLOTH is a welcome head trip."--ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY"Full of David Lynch-like inversions, haunted lemon orchards and indie rock bands, SLOTH is a tale you read once and immediately read again."--US... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1401203663
• ISBN13: 9781401203665
• Release Date: July 2006
• Publisher: Vertigo
• Length: 124 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 7.0" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

A diamond in the rough

Just thinking about Sloth makes me feel happy. From it's plot outline and the other reviews I'm sure that you think this book is a downer. It is not. It is written so passively that I was almost hugging myself while reading it. To spoil anything from any part of this book would be to spoil the end of Hamlet. However, if I had to choose one thing that I don't like about Sloth, it would be that it appeals to a very small group of people. It is very strange, not very accessible, and it didn't win any Eisner awards. Along with that, not many people (even graphic novel fans) have not even heard of it. So to make a long story short, read it. I promise you that you will not regret it.

Excellent Bit of Surreal Fiction

I really enjoyed Sloth. I like Gilbert Hernandez's side projects better than Love and Rockets, which I don't read, and this one is another good entry into that list. If you enjoyed his "Fear of Comics" you'll probably like this. Also good for those who like Charles Burns.

Like a Lucid Dream Comes "Sloth"

Surrounded by rumours and legends of murder, suicide and beyond-the-grave visitors, the characters in Sloth are haunted more by dreams than the "boring" world around them. Miguel, the protagonist of the first portion of the book, has awoken from a year-long coma (suspected by professionals, sans precedent, to have been self-induced). Upon returning to the conscious world, Miguel sees his girlfriend Lita transfixed by the unseen oddities within the lemon orchard just outside of town. Still very much in love with her, Miguel finds himself veritably tormented by her association with his best friend, Romeo. However, all is not as it seems - for just when the story begins to formulate itself, a very unusual twist skewers the reality as it had been presented up to this point. This is no mere hackneyed plot device, though. Upon delving further into the tale, one witnesses just how fragile a human existance is, how tenuous the day-to-day relationships and concepts accepted as "truths," as layer upon layer folds inwards, making linear assumptions and concepts all but invalid! With primary themes such as guilt, paranoia, and abandonment mixed with passion, fascination and ambition, Sloth presents a captivating story which doesn't evaporate with the final panel on the final page. Instead, it gently tempts the reader to cogitate upon what has just unfolded. While Mr. Hernandez touches upon a variety of conditions, the book doesn't linger on any of them. This book is reminiscent of many other pop-culture phenomenon such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (including its humourous moments), with shades of Mulholland Drive, but is essentially Mr. Hernandez' very unique take thereupon. A short tome, this book makes for excellent re-readability... and in fact, proves to become even stronger with each subsequent reading.