Last night I read an advance copy of QUIET GIRL IN A NOISY WORLD: AN INTROVERT’S STORY, a new book of cartoons by Debbie Tung.
If you like Allie Brosh’s HYPERBOLE AND A HALF comics, you might like this book, too. Its autobiographical cartoons feature a young woman (the author) as she navigates milestones of adulthood. She describes herself as an introvert and a person with anxiety. Parties are exhausting. She’s coming to terms with who she is.
The book has some lovely illustrations–line drawings and watercolor. The narrator’s stressed-out face was in a more cartoon-y style, while the single panel, full-page illustrations felt most polished (and were my favorites). Screencapping one of them would make a reassuring wallpaper.
Most of all, the book felt gentle. As I read, I thought of one of my younger cousins, a girl who’s struggled with mental health. I might give her this book. It would feel like sending a hug and a “you’re okay.”
Anna Kander 