Simplicity by Mattie Lubchansky
book, review
4/5 stars
I’ve been familiar with Mattie Lubchansky’s distinctive drawing for a good while (RIP The Nib) and was thrilled to discover she made a graphic novel.
Simplicity is set in the outskirts of what used to be New York City — turned into a walled off city state with oppressive "security", tracking and gig economy turned up to eleven. Beyond the walls is said to be dangerous wilderness occupied by libertarian bunker-dwellers, dangerous cults and bloodthirsty animals.
And that’s exactly where Lucius Pasternak — an anthropologist journalist — is sent to investigate a small commune called Simplicity. They have no technology, live off the earth, they’re queer-friendly and completely sexually free. No violence whatsoever.
He is welcomed, given a place to sleep and work, and immediately propositioned. He tries to conduct interviews, but no-one’s volunteering. So he joins the (literal) field work, gets to know people and fully participate in the commune’s life — except for the regular "let your emotions out" nights of sex and violence (yes).
As soon as things settle to a smooth rhythm and Lucius starts gaining trust, people begin to disappear leaving clear signs of struggle. Could the monster he saw in his dreams be real?
This is a lovely book, beautifully illustrated. It depicts the dystopian former NYC and its future, libertarian madmen and billionaires, as well as the Simplicity folk. You might be excused to think that — especially given the author’s political leaning — the commune would be presented as a paradise and solution to the all the civilisation’s ills (read: capitalism).
But it very much isn’t. This is still a place occupied by people who… behave like people. With all the good and bad — there’s a bit of The Purge vibe there after all.
I read it in one go and had fun throughout.
A note on nudity: you will see tits, cocks and clits. For what it’s worth though, I felt it was presented without titillation or exploitation.
This review was originally posted to Goodreads. Warning: as of sometime in 2026, Goodreads hid all their "public" reviews behind a login wall. Fuck the enshittification of Goodreads, fuck Amazon and fuck that cuntiest of billionaires: Jeff Bezos.
