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A review by inkdrinkers
In Limbo by Deb JJ Lee
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
In Limbo is a stunning debut graphic novel about the author, Deb JJ Lee's transition from living and growing up in South Korea to attending high school in America. Full of stories about their friendships, growing up, being Korean, and their struggles with mental health, this graphic novel navigates everything flawlessly and with tremendous care.
I'm not even sure where to begin. Lee's art in this book leaps off the page from the first illustrations of them and their brother swimming. The blues that Lee chose to use throughout this graphic novel were both calming and sad, mixing peace with turmoil as they gave weight and narrated their own intense struggles with mental health and suicide.
From a personal standpoint, I feel like this book is so powerful and had to be told through Lee's chosen medium as art. There is something so emotional about the way Lee illustrates the messy and painful memories, blending them together into a blue haze. I really related to the friendship and mental health struggles through this book, as it is truly difficult to see how your own mental health can quickly and deftly begin to impact others in an explosive manner.
I look forward to more by Deb JJ Lee. Not only is their art wonderful, but they clearly have an incredibly knack for storytelling. First Second Books continues to produce and publish incredible debuts and I can't wait to see what else comes from Lee down the line!
Thank you to NetGalley and First Second Books for providing me with a copy for an honest review!
Content warnings: suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt, child abuse, racism, slurs, anxiety depiction
I'm not even sure where to begin. Lee's art in this book leaps off the page from the first illustrations of them and their brother swimming. The blues that Lee chose to use throughout this graphic novel were both calming and sad, mixing peace with turmoil as they gave weight and narrated their own intense struggles with mental health and suicide.
From a personal standpoint, I feel like this book is so powerful and had to be told through Lee's chosen medium as art. There is something so emotional about the way Lee illustrates the messy and painful memories, blending them together into a blue haze. I really related to the friendship and mental health struggles through this book, as it is truly difficult to see how your own mental health can quickly and deftly begin to impact others in an explosive manner.
I look forward to more by Deb JJ Lee. Not only is their art wonderful, but they clearly have an incredibly knack for storytelling. First Second Books continues to produce and publish incredible debuts and I can't wait to see what else comes from Lee down the line!
Thank you to NetGalley and First Second Books for providing me with a copy for an honest review!
Content warnings: suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt, child abuse, racism, slurs, anxiety depiction
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs, Racism, and Suicide attempt