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A review by hickorynut
In Limbo by Deb JJ Lee
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
3.5
A coming of age story centered around Jung-Jin, a Korean American girl who goes by Deborah to assimilate. It focuses on her complicated relationship with her mother who supports her in some moments and shames in her others, a mostly emotional absent father and brother, and her difficulties with friendships both with Asian peers and others. Her mental health and the immense amount of pressure she is under is a large focus of the book and it ends with her in Korea, preparing to undergo cosmetic double eyelid surgery to celebrate her adulthood. The book drops off abruptly there, leaving us to wonder what decisions she made and how her story continues.
While many aspects of this story were similar to my own, I found it difficult to fully connect with the characters, perhaps affected by to the monotone coloring. The artwork was interesting in how it seemed to highlight and focus white or non-Asian characters in an extra detailed and contrasted manner, compared to the more softened and simple lines that primarily make up the main character's face.
While many aspects of this story were similar to my own, I found it difficult to fully connect with the characters, perhaps affected by to the monotone coloring. The artwork was interesting in how it seemed to highlight and focus white or non-Asian characters in an extra detailed and contrasted manner, compared to the more softened and simple lines that primarily make up the main character's face.