Recommend this to fans of Daniel Clowes’s Ghost World, who have been waiting for another graphic novel of teen angst and suburban ennui. While Tamaki’s faces are sometimes unsettling, the reader has the distinct impression that they should be uncomfortable. Long, languid lines portray Skim’s turmoil and angst with pitch-perfect resonance and show how, for teens, time seems to be so drawn out. Coupled with her tumultuous friendship, Skim also harbors a crush on a female teacher, which leads her to begin to question herself and her desires. The two girls come to an impasse when Lisa gets an unexpected chance to join the popular clique. Both sharply witty and incisive, the two girls dabble in various forms of self-expression and exploration, like dressing with Gothic flair and trying Wicca. Both overweight and of mixed ethnicities, Kimberly Keiko Cameron-also known as “Skim” because “she’s not”-is slowly moving through high school with her best friend Lisa. A quietly moving graphic novel explores a teen girl’s experience with friends, suicide, cliques and love.
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