Sheets, the book that precedes this sequel, was an unexpected delight for me, a tale about a loner who not learns that ghosts exist but teams up with them in order to deal with some pretty bleak life circumstances, was full of heartfelt characterizations and intense storytelling. It's a beautifully personal book, and I wondered how a sequel to it would work. Turns out, that sequel Delicates is as fantastic as the first book. Marjorie Glatt is still the main character, and her life has taken an upswing, as she is surprisingly now in the "cool kid" clique at school and not the outsider she once was. Still, this position brings with it complications. She does not have so much time to spend with her ghost friend Wendell, who is beginning to feel abandoned. And she has to navigate new social situations and mitigate the bullying done by her frenemy Sasha.
Most of Sasha's venom is aimed at Eliza Duncan, a young African-American woman who has been held back a year at school. I think the classic way to describe her would be as a young woman who is "not applying herself" to the best of her abilities. Her dad is one of Marjorie's teachers at their school, and even he cannot get his daughter to stop obsessing over photography. Specifically, she wants to capture an image that proves the ghosts exist, and because of her highly visible ambition she is an easy target for ridicule. This bullying weighs heavily and begins to affect her demeanor and will to live.
Ironically, Marjorie of course knows that ghosts exist and could set up a photography session quite easily, but she is reluctant to let anyone know what she knows for a couple reasons. One, she is afraid to be exposed as some sort of "freak" because of her association with the undead. Two, she is unsure of Eliza's intentions and the societal impact of publicly proving an afterlife exists. Still, she can see what Eliza is suffering and she experiences lots of turmoil over deciding what to do.
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| Worlds are colliding! |
By now you have gathered that there is a lot going on in this book in terms of its plot and narrative, but where I think it excels especially is in its characterizations. All of the characters, not just Marjorie and Eliza, but also even ones like Sasha and Wendell are shown to be nuanced, complex beings. They are not always nice or lovable, but they are shown to be quite human (even the ghosts!). The ways that these characters interact with each other is depicted in incredibly artful and lifelike manner, both in terms of the story and the artwork. The muted color scheme in particular helps highlight the emotional and tonal aspects of the narrative. The characters may be fictional creations but they seem very real, and this is as moving a book as I have ever read about friendship.
As a final plus, I think this book stands well on its own. Although I feel it would be more rewarding to read it after Sheets, a new reader would not be lost reading it as it has been written in a way that (re)introduces this world and its characters in very accessible fashion.
In addition to the aforementioned Sheets, this book's creator Brenna Thummler also collaborated on an adaptation of Anne of Green Gables. She speaks about her work on Delicates in this interview.
The reviews I have read about this book have been very positive. Kirkus Reviews summed it up as "an original exploration of what it means to be seen and accepted." Lauren from Northern Plunder called it "a very emotional read that I highly recommend." There is also an in-depth discussion of the book (spoilers abound) in this discussion with the Comix Experience Graphic Novel Club.
Delicates was published by ONI Press, and they offer more information about it here. It is also available to read right now on Comixology Unlimited.
