This brand new graphic novel is a must-read for anyone who
loves museums, ghost stories, or creepy mental hospital lore. Our protagonist is troubled yet persistent
Cel, who takes a questionable job as an archivist at a medical museum after
losing her long-time job as a library assistant due to a mental breakdown. Even though no one ever seems to visit the
museum, Cel is required to work outside opening hours (i.e. in the middle of
the night) and is encouraged to live in the windowless basement apartment that
used to house tortured patients. Oh, and
her boss is clearly hiding something from her.
Add in artifacts that move around when no one’s looking, mysterious
writing on the walls, and a girl who keeps visiting Cel in her nightmares, and
you have all the ingredients for a story that should only be read by daylight.
Despite its many elements of horror, at its heart this is
really a story about a young woman’s reckoning with her own inner demons. As our cultural conversation begins to
include more and more about mental health, it’s interesting to watch the impact
this has on all literary genres, including the graphic novel. The minimalist illustrations are colorful and
expressive; I’ll definitely be waiting impatiently by the next work by both
author (Weir) and illustrator (Steenz).
Recommended by Sophie
No comments:
Post a Comment