Monstrous: A Graphic Memoir To Make You Feel Seen

Hey Bookworms, I’m bringing you a slightly different review today. I’ll be talking about Monstrous: A Transracial Adoption story by Sarah Myer which is graphic novel memoir.

Synopsis

Sarah is a transracial adoptee who is Korean but gets adopted by a white couple in rural Maryland. As they grow up feeling isolated from their community, they rely on their drawing skills and imagination to cover up anxiety about not fitting in. Sarah struggles to control their anger but to survive high school, where the bullies are bigger and meaner than ever, they’ll have to learn to overcome the most monstrous thing: their own insecurities

Review

Monstrous was recommended to me as part of my ‘12 recommendations’ reading goal for the year and I’ll be honest: at first, I found it difficult to make progress due to the heavy topics. However, this book is a great example of why I prefer graphic novel memoirs. The visual aspect immerses the reader more fully into the author’s mind, providing a quicker path to connecting with the author on a human level, which is what many of us look for when we pick up a memoir. The illustrations communicate so much information about the setting and atmosphere in the blink of an eye! I felt utterly transported to rural Maryland in the 90’s and early 2000’s without any need for paragraphs of descriptions. Especially since drawing and pop culture play such a pivotal role in Sarah’s life and inspiration, I feel this medium is perfect for their story.

The art is fantastic and the cover, with its half & half face, does an excellent job of conveying the shifting tones of the book. The colours and art style used within the panels pivot from browns, dark reds, and subdued colours when Sarah is feeling anxious, fearful, or angry, to bright, lively, and anime-esque when they are joyful, confident or feeling creative.

“I was safe and happy, shrouded in my identity as an artist. But something dark still lurked beneath.”

Monstrous, Sarah Myer

Monstrous covers a lot of ground thematically; Sarah explores their identity through so many intersecting facets. Adopted. Korean. Queer. As an artist. An aspect of the story (and Sarah’s life) that I respect is how much they reflect on their own beliefs and behaviours. They are vulnerable in the story in sharing why they used to feel and think in certain ways and how they grew from those places through introspection. It is particularly heartbreaking that even though Sarah had loving parents, they lacked a support system that truly understood what it meant to be different. No one could teach them how to manage their understandable feelings of anger and frustration constructively. The fact they had to figure it out on their own makes their journey towards growth one fraught with pain.

Woven throughout the memoir were currents of the power of media to offer comfort and solace, and even to change how you perceive the world and yourself. This theme was my favourite to explore because of how much I connect to it, as an avid lover of books. The ways that Sarah used cosplay as a blend of self-expression, coping mechanism, and exploration of sexuality affected me the most as those were the scenes that had me choking up with emotion. I don’t often cry at books so when I experience these more physical reactions I notice and value them all the more.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I highly recommend this book as this story is worth telling. I believe this book can help a lonely child feel seen, just like cartoons and anime did for Sarah.

My usual 5 category fiction rating scheme does not apply to memoirs. Additionally, I don’t like the idea of reducing someone’s life experience to a rating. Therefore, I will allow my review to speak for itself and let you decide if this book is for you. Happy Reading!

Let’s chat in the comments!

Have you read this one? Or come and tell me some of your favourite graphic memoirs in the comments, I’m always looking for more!

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