Publishing Date: September 10, 2019
Publisher: first second
Pages: 320
Young Adult Graphic Novel
The Premise from the Publisher: "The graphic novel Are You Listening? is an intimate and emotionally soaring story about friendship, grief, and healing from Eisner Award winner Tillie Walden. Bea is on the run. And then, she runs into Lou.This chance encounter sends them on a journey through West Texas, where strange things follow them wherever they go. The landscape morphs into an unsettling world, a mysterious cat joins them, and they are haunted by a group of threatening men. To stay safe, Bea and Lou must trust each other as they are driven to confront buried truths. The two women share their stories of loss and heartbreak-and a startling revelation about sexual assault-culminating in an exquisite example of human connection. This magical realistic adventure from the celebrated comics creator of Spinning and On a Sunbeam will stay with readers long after the final gorgeously illustrated page" (first second).
My overall review and thoughts: It's been a while since I've read a graphic novel since I primarily read manga. But when they pitched this book at the #TeensReadFeed Raincoast Preview not too long ago, I was definitely intrigued by it! They described it as a magical realism text, drawing inspiration from Miyazaki. The story follows Bea and Lou, who end up on a road trip together. Bea is running away from home and Lou is trying to take some time to get over the death of her mother. They knew of one another from the neighborhood they grew up in, but not much more than that. As they travel together, they get to know one another and their anxieties, and just really open up to one another. They also pick up a furry friend along the way, D, a cat. They make a pact to get the cat home safely, but they are followed by some strange men. It's when the book definitely blends into that magical realism territory. The ARC copy I got was mostly in black and white with some teaser color pages, so I had a look through the finished copy in-store and it's just stunning. The black and white was lovely, but seeing the final product, it's definitely worth picking up. It follows two people who were running away from something and in the trip together, they just find themselves, but also a new friend in each other which was really nice to see. The book tackles themes of family, friendship, sexual assault, sexuality, and loss. I think fans of Walden's previous books will definitely enjoy this one. It kind of reminded me David Arnold's Mosquitoland!
My rating of the book: ✮✮✮½ - 3.5/5 stars
Available for purchase:
Indigo/Chapters - Kobo - Amazon - Kindle - Book Depository
Disclaimer: I received an advanced reader's copy from Raincoast Books in exchange for consideration/review. All opinions are my own.
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