Graphic Novel Review – A City Inside by Tillie Walden (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Graphic Novel/Magical Realism
Length: 56 pages
Publisher: Avery Hill Publishing
Release Date: October 15, 2018
ISBN-13: 978-1910395417
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Gift
Rating: 4/5 stars
“Shifting between the everyday and the surreal, A City Inside recounts one woman’s life, starting from her childhood home, to the first love that she will never forget, to the creation of the idea of herself that she can grow old with and the home that she can grow old in.
Tillie Walden creates a poetic graphic novel exploration of the process of growing older; the journey towards finding out who you are and building a life for yourself.”
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got this book as a Mother’s Day gift.
Thoughts: This is a well done graphic novel that provides a lot of food for thought for its very brief length. I just can’t give it 5 stars because it’s so short and to pay $17 for a book that took me literally 10 minutes to read is a bit tough. I would recommend getting this from the library to read or borrowing it digitally from the library (it’s all black and white). I love Walden as a graphic novel author but there just isn’t much here.
The story starts out with a young woman going to therapy. She then runs through her whole life in a very abbreviated format and there is an ironic twist at the end. The theme is about what we give up (or don’t give up) to be with the person we love.
Walden is top-notch in telling excellent stories and conveying a lot of emotion in her drawings. The story told here is moving, engaging, and provides a lot of food for thought. I was impressed by how well she conveyed these thoughts and this story in such a short page space.
I just couldn’t help but be disappointed by how short this was and how expensive it was to buy. I enjoyed “On a Sunbeam” and “Spinning” so much more than this book.
My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this and was impressed with how much story and thoughtfulness was delivered in such a short space. However, that was also the problem here; this took me maybe 10 minutes to read. It doesn’t even come close to comparing with some of Walden’s other graphic novels like “On a Sunbeam” and “Spinning”. Maybe if this had been part of a larger collection or sold at a cheaper price…. If you are a huge Walden fan I would borrow this one from the library; it’s good but so, so short.
