Reviews

Skim by Jillian Tamaki, Mariko Tamaki

Only show reviews with written explanations

steveatwaywords's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Skim is a story of young women and misunderstanding, of challenges to compassion and walls against love, of the gulfs between death and alienation, of all of us stumbling ahead nonetheless. Insecurity is near the heart of Tamaki's characters who casually lash out and judge the behaviors of difference, but it is an insecurity nonetheless paired with longing. There is no clear path to love, and tentative overtures are as likely to be lost as tragically fulfilled.

While the stark black and white illustration work complements the bleakness of the story and the divisions between characters, I wondered at points whether greyer tones might better represent the quiet quests of these students against the public performative nonsense the mainstream offers.

Tamaki takes on the misunderstandings we have as people, not merely adolescents, around our discussions of suicide, of enmity, of community. And we must not expect pat or final answers to any of it; quite the opposite. We just keep moving forward as best we can.

Content Warnings

indydanniejones's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

thecolourblue's review against another edition

Go to review page

2.75

Teen melodrama and relatable portrayals of young people dealing with greif and depression. Not as strong as some of Tamaki's other work though.

venusinlove's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

it wasn't my favourite art style but it was entertaining so that was quite enough for me. i wouldn't say it was something magnificent, the story was bit all over the place. i wish there was more witchcraft stuff because it was left unfinished? also i wanted to know what would happen to Katie! and maybe mrs. A too. these were my main missing points. otherwise, kinda fun, kinda queer-y.

naomivilla's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

sleepylit's review against another edition

Go to review page

reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

I had high hopes for this book, but ended up just being confused. The book goes by insanely fast and there doesn’t seem to be any real resolution to the main plot-point -SPOILER (Kim being in love with her English teacher) END SPOILER- I enjoyed the fact that the main character is a goth, plus size, Asian, lesbian(?), but there was so much this story could have done, and it just ended so abruptly.

parmtootz's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark sad medium-paced

aiden51's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

For a long time this was my absolute favourite book. Now I think it might just be my favourite graphic novel. As someone who went to an all-girls school in Toronto and didn't quite fit in and dabbled in witchcraft because I didn't know anything about myself or the world I lived in, this story felt like it was written specifically for me. So beautiful and I come back to it all the time.

kstav's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

My favourite book about love, and maybe the best book about being a teenager.

Content Warnings

galacticmumbling's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.5

Content Warnings

More...