A moving portrayal of mortality and its aftermath, shown from both sides.
A young woman embarks on a journey to an unknown destination in this debut about grief and life after loss.
“There’s some weird shit happening out here,” Kit thinks as she finds herself alive after experiencing yet another seemingly fatal accident. Each morning, Kit checks her watch and her map and walks, until something—a rushing tide, slippery boulders, a falling branch—halts her progress. She wakes up unharmed the following day, and the routine repeats itself. Kit’s happy-go-lucky demeanor matches the pleasant childhood memories that punctuate her days, but as time passes, her frustration grows, and the memories increasingly become tinged with regret. In a concurrent storyline, grieving family members surrounded by reminders of the one they lost try to resume normal life. Readers will piece together the clues before Kit realizes what’s happening, but that knowledge won’t diminish the impact of the reveal, which is dramatic in its visual simplicity. Throughout the book, Lee’s unfussy artwork—bold, black line art paired with monochromatic shading—effortlessly conveys movement and emotion, while page turns and two-page spreads are used to great effect in creating mood and suspense. The depth of emotion portrayed here will resonate with any reader who has experienced loss. The characters are cued as Korean American. An author’s note explains the Buddhist concept of bardo, a temporary state between life and rebirth, from which the book takes inspiration.
A moving portrayal of mortality and its aftermath, shown from both sides. (Graphic fiction. 13-adult)Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781646143757
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Levine Querido
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
PERSPECTIVES
PERSPECTIVES
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and...
A deliciously creepy page-turning gem from first-time writer and illustrator Brosgol finds brooding teenager Anya trying to escape the past—both her own and the ghost haunting her.
Anya feels out of place at her preppy private school; embarrassed by her Russian heritage, she has worked hard to lose her accent and to look more like everyone else. After a particularly frustrating morning at the bus stop, Anya storms off, only to accidentally fall down a well. Down in the dark hole, she meets Emily, a ghost who claims to be a murder victim trapped down in the dank abyss for 90 years. With Emily’s help, Anya manages to escape, though once free, she learns that Emily has traveled out with her. At first, Emily seems like the perfect friend; however, once her motives become clear, Anya learns that “perfect” may only be an illusion. A moodily atmospheric spectrum of grays washes over the clean, tidy panels, setting a distinct stage before the first words appear. Brosgol’s tight storytelling invokes the chilling feeling of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline (2002), though for a decidedly older set.
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and outward appearance. (Graphic supernatural fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: June 7, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59643-552-0
Page Count: 224
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2011
A fast-paced dip into the possibility of a world without human emotions.
A teenage girl refuses a medical procedure to remove her heart and her emotions.
June lives in a future in which a reclusive Scientist has pioneered a procedure to remove hearts, thus eliminating all “sadness, anxiety, and anger.” The downside is that it numbs pleasurable feelings, too. Most people around June have had the procedure done; for young people, in part because doing so helps them become more focused and successful. Before long, June is the only one among her peers who still has her heart. When her parents decide it’s time for her to have the procedure so she can become more focused in school, June hatches a plan to pretend to go through with it. She also investigates a way to restore her beloved sister’s heart, joining forces with Max, a classmate who’s also researching the Scientist because he has started to feel again despite having had his heart removed. The pair’s journey is somewhat rushed and improbable, as is the resolution they achieve. However, the story’s message feels relevant and relatable to teens, and the artwork effectively sets the scene, with bursts of color popping throughout an otherwise black-and-white landscape, reflecting the monochromatic, heartless reality of June’s world. There are no ethnic or cultural markers in the text; June has paper-white skin and dark hair, and Max has dark skin and curly black hair.
A fast-paced dip into the possibility of a world without human emotions. (Graphic speculative fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: June 13, 2023
ISBN: 9780063116214
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: April 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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