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Sylvie Kantorovitz renders a beautiful graphic memoir that delineates her path to adulthood. Born into a Jewish family in Morocco, Sylvie moves to France with her parents and explores her new home. She lives in a school where her father is the school principal, and most of her classmates are French. She enjoys anything related to art, but her mother isn’t supportive of letting her do it for a living. Instead, she pushes Sylvie to take mathematics and physics to benefit her future. In her elder years, the pressure of choosing a career becomes hard on her. After receiving her Baccalaureate Diploma (an entrance ticket to a university), she moves to Paris and finds out what she wants to be, alone from the external pressure around her.
This book has many things to adore, especially the details, the doodling, and every artistic aspect. Sylvie is such a passionate artist, and I can see that through her commitment to the skill. The image panels were easy to follow, even though they were without words or speech bubbles. However, the author could have shown continuation between chapters since some parts of the plot felt incomplete. Otherwise, the story was straightforward, and the ending was convincing. The overall tone was very comforting, making it a quick and easy read.
I liked that the book stood out from typical memoirs, where they seldom involve violence or the author’s struggles in life. Sylvie was different. Her life was so simple yet very interesting to read. From being a shy person, she had become much more confident with her decisions near the end. It was surprising to see this inner transformation, which added more to her personality.
Reviewed by Sruthi, Twin Hickory Library
HCPL TeenScene's Read + Review 