Tinderella

DEBUT Cartoonist Harkness opens this debut memoir of her misadventures over the winter of 2015 with the realization that intense workout sessions, hustling to make rent, and a heavy course load hasn’t left her much time for dating. Since she’s broke and craves sexual gratification but fears appearing emotionally vulnerable, downloading the Tinder app seems like her best option. While Harkness is far from the first cartoonist to explore the hilarious highs and pathetic lows of modern dating, the material feels fresh—even new—owing to her unbelievably fearless, unflinching depiction of herself as an occasionally crude, prickly, mildly self-destructive, twentysomething, whose overconfidence would be obnoxious if it wasn’t cut with self-lacerating humor. A series of misadventures, including an experiment with an unconventional conjunctivitis home remedy, build to a surprisingly moving scene set late at night on Christmas when a visit to an old hookup she both craves and loathes triggers an unexpected and highly illuminating flashback to her childhood.