A review by twicomb
Age 16 by Rosena Fung

challenging emotional hopeful reflective medium-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

5.0

If you don't think that graphic novels can contain deeply emotional, profoundly touching, multi-layered narratives, then this book will change your mind. If you already know that graphic novels can do all that, then you are in for a treat. Age 16 tackles so many of the timeless worries and fears of being a teenage girl, and demonstrates just how timeless (and heartfelt) they are by simultaneously showing three different generations of the same family all going through them, at three different times in the past. Within each character's world, there's much to unpack in the relationship between the mother and daughter: as there often is at this age, and with some of the dynamics that exist (e.g. body beliefs passed down through generations). But this book makes this telling particularly insightful because the mother in the first chapter may be the daughter in the second chapter. The grandmother in the sixth chapter was the mother in the second chapter. And so forth. In this way, we see the reverberations of impacts and injuries across the generations. But we also see hope and internal strength. This is a beautiful book that I'm certain will find many fans.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC for unbiased review.
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