Bad Habits: A Love Story
Issue #38
by Christy C. Road
By Adam Schragin
Published: March 1st, 2009 | 12:00am
Bad Habits is a semi-autobiographical, illustrated tale of sex, drug abuse, and drama (with a big D) by zine publisher and illustrator Cristy C. Road. Set within the grungy confines of multiple Brooklyn locales and even a brief drug-fueled return to the shores of Florida, the book follows Road’s alter-ego as she dives headfirst into strained romantic dalliances with both sexes, snorts pounds of cocaine, and tries to come to grips with who she ultimately is, leaving everything in a wake of tears and bitter recriminations in the meantime.
A colorful collection of outcasts fills the pages — like the train-jumper Smith or cross-dressing roommate Rhonda — but the focus of Bad Habits never strays far from unnecessarily dense first-person complaints and cries stuffed in draining, heart-damaged purple prose that all too often strays into melodramatic-teenage-diary territory.
Road gets big ups for creatively dealing with her story with undeniable verve and energy, but after awhile, the self-pitying prose wears thin. There’s nothing wrong with loving a little drama, but the characters in Bad Habits need to get a grip.
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ABOUT THE BOOK
(Soft Skull)
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