Acting Class

Starred review from April 1, 2022

A group of strangers united by a desire to change their lives struggles to discern fact from fiction in Drnaso's darkly gripping follow-up to the Booker Prize--nominated Sabrina. It takes place over several sessions of a free acting class in a rundown community center, taught by the enigmatic John Smith. Each week, Smith walks the class through improv exercises that he claims will unlock their creativity and help them overcome self-consciousness. His methods prove effective, but the results aren't necessarily for the best: one student's newfound confidence brings dangerous personality traits to the fore; another is overcome with paranoia and dread; and a young woman named Angel enters a blissful fugue state that leaves her unable to account for entire days of her life. Smith insists his method's psychological toll will prove worthwhile in the end--but does he know what he's doing? VERDICT Drnaso's mastery of pacing and tone, plus his knack for developing characters through specific detail and natural dialogue, results in an incisive exploration of alienation that is increasingly unsettling as it builds to a shocking conclusion.

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 30, 2022
Drnaso follows Sabrina (the first graphic novel longlisted for the Booker Prize) with an unnerving, mind-bending third outing, featuring an ensemble of aspiring thespians in an acting class led by a mysterious teacher named John. There’s strained couple Rosie and Dennis; physical therapist Danielle; nervous and awkward Angel; nude model Thomas; stressed single mom Rayanne; friendless Lou, who suffers from night terrors; among others. The class begins with simple role-playing and improvisation, but soon the exercises become more involved and immersive (with Drnaso presenting fictional situations as reality on the page), and the limits of truth and performance—as well as what’s real and what’s imagined—begin to blur. With deliberately choppy jumps in the narrative, questions mount: How far will these characters wander into their own minds? What effect will these journeys have on their real lives? And who, exactly, is John? Drnaso masterfully digs into the group’s psyches, unearthing their deepest desires, anxieties, and troubled backstories: Angel suddenly becomes excessively confident; Lou takes refuge in pretending to be a dog who’s treated affectionately by people. Drnaso’s signature flat art and homogenous expressions gets established then strikingly interrupted by wild, imaginative depictions of the surreal scenarios. The result is a provocative portrait of the search for connection and meaning in modern life.