Ophelia

March 1, 2018

Gr 9 Up-Ophelia, the self-named teenage protagonist of this illustrated novel, is full of anger and loneliness. Her unhappiness stems from her body image issues, a lack of friends, an absent father, a mother's ex-boyfriend, and her mother herself-a recovering drug addict whose negligence once landed Ophelia in foster care for a year. Ophelia releases her resentment through her art, in the form of graffiti sprayed about town. This satisfies her somewhat, but not as much as when she discovers an abandoned warehouse that soon doubles as her workspace. Initially upset to learn that a classmate-a very overweight, perpetually bullied boy who calls himself Ulysses-has also decided to squat in the warehouse to tinker on an old caboose left there, the two outcasts eventually come to an understanding that evolves into respect and then romance. Readers will want to empathize with Ophelia, but her character is weighed down with so many clichéd and underdeveloped issues that her plight often feels unrealistic. The stilted text fails to offer more than glimpses of Ophelia (via the book's illustrations and her descriptions of her own artwork): a girl who dresses in layers of baggy, oversize clothes to hide from the world. The novel's strengths lie in its unique format as letters Ophelia's written to a visiting author who briefly befriends her-letters Ophelia has no intention of ever sending-interspersed with visually engaging illustrations and collages. However, her transformation by the end of the novel into someone who is hopeful will feel unsatisfying to most. VERDICT Though the novel concludes on an upbeat note, this is an unflinching look at teen angst that will appeal to those who like brooding characters with dysfunctional families, dark surroundings, and bleak daily life.-Melissa Kazan, Horace Mann School, NY

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2018
In this text-and-graphic mashup, a gift from a novelist on a school visit opens up a world of possibilities for Ophelia, a white Quebec teen.Sensing that 10th-grader Ophelia is troubled, the writer gives her a blank notebook which lights a fire inside her. In it, Ophelia charts her rocky course from emotional isolation toward self-acceptance and friendship. Her year in foster care at age 8 and molestation two years later by her single mother's boyfriend have eroded the trust between mother and daughter. Ophelia dresses in body-disguising layers, works at a dollar store, occasionally shoplifts, and sneaks out at night, tagging walls with her signature broken-heart graffiti. Discovering a derelict building, she claims it as her creative refuge only to learn that an overweight classmate, another social outcast, has laid claim to it, retreating there to dream of journeying around the world. Reluctantly dividing the space, each makes tentative forays into the other's world. As they find the courage to look beyond their own pain, they befriend two lesbian classmates and recognize that the hijab-wearing Muslim girls at school are experiencing rejection too. Text and art mesh subtly, the latter ranging from semi-abstract to finely detailed collages, emphatic and powerful. Words scrawled in and over the art are in the original French, their meaning rewarding readers' investigation but not essential for appreciating their impact.A spare, emotionally evocative coming-of-age journey. (Fiction. 12-15)

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