The Peanutbutter Sisters and Other American Stories

“Rumi Hara's The Peanutbutter Sisters is a celebration of the power, imagination, and ingenuity of women, expressed as a fever dream. In one story, two girls face off in a bubble gum-chewing contest and blow bubbles so big that they consume them; in another, a goddess merely needs to point to trigger a swarm of 'Bombadonnas' to create destruction and chaos. The short stories are punctuated by surreal imagery of the Builders at work at a lumberyard, dressed in matching crotchless suits made of fur. Reading it feels like you're going on a psychedelic trip with Hara, and she's taking you by the hand deeper and deeper into her beautiful, magical, fantastical world.” —Malaka Gharib, author of I Was Their American Dream and the forthcoming graphic memoir, It Won't Always Be Like This

“Striking stories that are precious but not polite, mysterious but inviting, untethered to reality but also the realest thing you could read.” —Lisa Hanawalt, author of I Want You

“What a pleasure it is to lose oneself in Rumi Hara's world—one both familiar yet strange—with so many delicious details that you'll never want to leave. A delight!” —Sarah Glidden, author of Rolling Blackouts

“Hara’s clever visuals underscore climate change, predators, mutable identities, and the longing for 'home sweet home.” —Booklist

“A genre-bending, eye-catching collection that showcases Hara’s imaginative eye for detail and deft ability to blend surreal elements with everyday life.” —Winnipeg Free Press

“Smart and oddly relatable.” —Creative Review

“Through stories alternating realistic and fantastical, Hara creates worlds where anything seems possible—yet her big feat is capturing everyday experience.” —Publishers Weekly