YELLOW SINGING SAIL

In this graphic memoir set in China, Huang documents her childhood move from rural Xintian to bustling, big-city Guangzhou.

In Xintian, young Yinfan is surrounded by family and nature and encouraged to explore, experiment, create art, and stand out. Once she enters primary school, however, she must tamp down her self-expression when she struggles with her schoolwork. Just as she’s started to adapt, her parents find new jobs in Guangzhou, leaving her in the care of her grandparents. She eventually rejoins her parents. They initially share an apartment with relatives, who criticize everything from the way Yinfan brushes her teeth to how her mother washes the dishes. Later, they move to a ninth-floor walk-up, where she experiences a home invasion and meets, then loses, her first friend. Though marked by loneliness and uncertainty, these years in Guangzhou are also full of small rebellions, as when Yinfan passes notes in class and wears braids, which violate the strict dress code. Huang’s bold, comics-style watercolor art, in shades of coral and jade, capture and confront Yinfan’s youthful struggle to be comfortable in her own skin; while she doesn’t shy away from humiliating or painful episodes, she also fully celebrates moments of joy. Simultaneously specific and relatable, Yinfan’s story will resonate with readers still seeking their own ways to belong. Simplified Chinese text appears throughout, occasionally translated.

Honest, vulnerable, and full of heart.