Graphic Novel Review – Are You Listening by Tillie Walden (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Graphic Novel/Magical Realism
Length: 320 pages
Publisher: First Second
Release Date: September 10, 2019
ISBN-13 : 978-1250207562
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Gift
Rating: 4/5 stars
“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.”
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone graphic novel that I got as a Christmas gift.
Thoughts: This was a well done graphic novel about two young women, Bea and Lou. Bea is on the run and gets Lou to help take her on a car trip through West Texas. Things dip into some magical realism elements when the landscape around them gets surreal, a mysterious cat joins them, and a group of mysterious men starts to hunt them.
This is a fairly ambiguous story at points and you kind of have to guess at what is going on. I enjoyed it a lot but not as much as Walden’s “On a Sunbeam”. The story is really driven by the questions of what Bea is running from, what Lou is going to, and what is up with this cat that they find.
There is some in here about sexual abuse and finding and believing in yourself enough to get help when you need it. Also there is a lot about finding people who you can connect with and get support from. The strange magical journey they go on also seems to be an allegory for the surrealistic road trip that life in general can become.
The illustration is in limited color and surreal at points, it is beautiful and a bit abstract but I enjoyed it.
My Summary (4/5): Overall this was a well done graphic novel by Walden. I enjoyed it. Although the story at first seems very simple, I find myself thinking back to it quite a bit. Of course, I loved the cat and some of the other surreal elements here. If you are a Walden fan or a fan of road trip type graphic novels with a bit of magical realism I would pick it up.
