THE GREAT COOL RANCH DORITO IN THE SKY

A teenage boy in Tucson struggles with grief and disordered eating in this emotional debut.

At almost 16, Brett has worked out how to make himself feel better. All it takes is a “Costco-sized bottle of vodka,” a generous assortment of treats from every drive-thru restaurant in the area, and the privacy to dream up new adventures for Kid Condor, the hero of his own lovingly crafted comic-book universe. And lately, he’s needed a lot of cheering up: Between his adoptive English professor mom’s cancer diagnosis and new tensions with best friend Reed, who has taken to young adulthood with more grace, game, and abdominal muscles than Brett can fathom, there’s a lot of fear to push away. Enter Mallory, a fat classmate who recognizes Brett’s eating disorder for what it is before he’s found the words to describe it himself. She takes Brett under her wing, demonstrating a path away from diet culture and the shame it enforces. Galarza brings humor and sensitivity to the story, permitting his characters to move organically through even the uglier moments of growth. Brett’s internalized fatphobia brings a body-focused valence to his friendship with Mallory, but not at the expense of Mallory’s depth of character. Mexican American Brett is mestizo, and his roots play an important role in his storytelling in the Kid Condor universe. Other major characters are white.

A moving, funny story expressing the tenacious voice of a survivor.