Graphic Novel Review – The Dark Matter of Mona Starr by Laura Lee Gulledge (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Graphic Novel/Mental Health
Length: 192 pages
Publisher: Amulet Paperbacks
Release Date: April 7, 2020
ISBN-13 : 978-1419742002
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 4/5 stars
“ Sometimes, the world is too much for Mona Starr. She’s sweet, geeky, and creative, but it’s hard for her to make friends and connect with other people, and her depression seems to take on a vivid, concrete form. She calls it her Matter.
The Matter seems to be everywhere, telling Mona she’s not good enough and that everyone around her wishes she’d go away. But with therapy, art, writing, and the persistence of a few good friends, Mona starts to understand her Matter and how she can turn her fears into strengths. ”
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book that I got from the library.
Story (4/5): This book is about a girl named Mona Starr who is struggling with depression. She struggles to make friends even though she’s very sweet and creative. At the urging of her therapist she starts a study of what she calls her “Dark Matter” and tries to figure out triggers and helpers to deal with it.
Characters (4/5): Mona Starr is very relatable and easy to engage with; you really feel for her and the surrounding characters. I think the core “realization” for Mona is that everyone is struggling with their own “Dark Matter” all the time but people just end up fighting the struggle in different ways. Mona pretty much makes this story (along with the creative artwork and way of portraying depression).
Setting (4/5): The book is contemporary and takes place mostly in Mona’s house and school.
Writing/Drawing Style (4/5): There are some very creative aspects in this book. The visualization of depression as Dark Matter that can be studied and understood was incredibly well done. While the drawing done in shades of grey wasn’t really something I personally loved; it was well done and easy to follow. The neutral tones throughout make the pages where bursts of yellow (happiness) are added into the book even more impactful.
My Summary (4/5): Overall this was incredibly creative and very well done. I am not personally a huge fan of reading about depression or of the muted grey art style used throughout this novel. However, I think the way depression was portrayed and the acknowledgment of how to deal with and fight it was very well done. This is one of those unique books that really does something new and creative and I appreciated it even if I didn’t personally love it.
