I say playful because the book feels thoughtful and exploratory as Rose and Windy confront the uncomfortable, they learn things about themselves and each other in the process. Though the subject matter includes things like teenage pregnancy and miscarriage, the way the Tamakis examine these subjects feels playful and serious at the same time. Touching on issues that girls often encounter first- or secondhand (slut-shaming, for example), there is room in the book to tease out emotional moments in particular contexts much like the blues that highlight and cool on the page, the reading experience feels fluid. I was immediately drawn to the colour scheme of the novel in all of its blue-and-white glory, which ultimately deepened my reading experience each illustrated page is a tribute to the beachside backdrop of their tense summer. The book centers on the experiences of Rose and Windy who are spending a summer together at Awago Beach with their families. It is layered with difficult and joyous moments that ultimately reflect the turbulence of coming of age as a girl, and the negotiations we make, both personal and social, blossoming. Mariko and Jillian Tamaki’s stunning teen graphic novel This One Summer captures a moment in two girls’ lives where transition and exploration intersect as they shift their way into teenagehood, and all the while the patriarchy is there, anchoring its presence. By then, I wasn’t really encouraged to self-define, and that’s when I learned to miss the freedom I had had as a seventh-grader with little parental supervision, when I had not yet turned gendered expectations inward and let them deeply influence my self-understanding. But as I entered puberty and became a girl with boobs and hairy legs, I was confronted with specific ideas about where that curiosity needed to be directed. This was 2003-ish.Īt this age, I had a general sense that acting on my curiosities was probably a good thing for me. It was a weird place to be, sitting on your couch wondering if and how Britney Spears’ “I’m Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman” was relevant to your fast-moving, twelve-year-old life. I also wanted to explore what lay ahead for me in high school. When I was younger, I was interested in hanging on to my pre-teen self-I felt like I was still a kid and could get away with things that grown-up girls couldn’t. A graphic novel by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki
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