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clarabooksit's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Absolutely stunning art. The way Lee fully fleshes out backgrounds, filling them up, and the use of space on the page are gorgeous. Sadly, the story fell flat for me. The narrative was too choppy and major themes never felt fully formed, just fragments of Lee’s formative years. While this didn’t quite work for me, I’ll definitely still check out more of Lee’s work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Racism, Suicide, and Mental illness
Moderate: Violence
lprongs's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I'm glad this exists because I think the author needed to write it, and I think a lot of people probably need to read it. It didn't really click with me though - I struggled to follow the thread of a lot of the more jumbled panel compositions, and I often felt like I couldn't quite figure out what the author was trying to say/show, even when it felt very important. However, this book was not written for me.
I will also say that a lot of my own trauma from severe depression, a suicide attempt, and an unstable, formative relationship with my own mother informed a lot of my response to this book. It made me uncomfortable in a bad way and reminded me of things I'd rather stay forgotten. I think if I'd read this a few years ago, before I moved back in with my parents, I would have enjoyed it more. Now it's a little too close to home, and I think that prevented me from really sinking into it and understanding more of it as I kept a lot of it at arm's length in my head.
It was not an enjoyable read, and like most memoirs, it feels wrong to rate it. But I do think it's a valuable addition to the world: it introduces and discusses some very complex and important topics, the art was beautiful, and the inclusion of Korean was cleverly done.
I will also say that a lot of my own trauma from severe depression, a suicide attempt, and an unstable, formative relationship with my own mother informed a lot of my response to this book. It made me uncomfortable in a bad way and reminded me of things I'd rather stay forgotten. I think if I'd read this a few years ago, before I moved back in with my parents, I would have enjoyed it more. Now it's a little too close to home, and I think that prevented me from really sinking into it and understanding more of it as I kept a lot of it at arm's length in my head.
It was not an enjoyable read, and like most memoirs, it feels wrong to rate it. But I do think it's a valuable addition to the world: it introduces and discusses some very complex and important topics, the art was beautiful, and the inclusion of Korean was cleverly done.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse
librariana's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Racism
Minor: Bullying and Physical abuse
sweetsouthwest's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Mental illness, and Self harm
stefieereads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt
Moderate: Bullying
gsforest's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt and Racism
literarystrawberry's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt
Moderate: Racism
dauhns_booklist's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
This book is stunning. I was so deeply moved reading it, I don’t think I’ve ever been this emotional from a graphic novel before. The illustrations are so detailed, expressive, and alive. All the references to Korean culture had me feeling nostalgic but also triggered, and the anti-Asian racism that young Deborah (Jung-Jin) went through tore my heart apart. I could feel the pain and fear and shame in my bones.
IN LIMBO addresses dark themes such as depression, violence, bullying, trauma, and attempted suicide. But it’s also about the all-too-familiar themes of coming of age, friendship, and the insecurities of a teenager. I’ve been really appreciative lately of books that address mental health in the Asian-American community, I think it’s extremely important that there is more representation and exposure.
IN LIMBO addresses dark themes such as depression, violence, bullying, trauma, and attempted suicide. But it’s also about the all-too-familiar themes of coming of age, friendship, and the insecurities of a teenager. I’ve been really appreciative lately of books that address mental health in the Asian-American community, I think it’s extremely important that there is more representation and exposure.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Violence and Suicide attempt
seo's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Bullying
Moderate: Suicide attempt