Stargazing

Stargazing is a beautiful book about an unlikely friendship and all the ups and downs that go into maintaining it. The main character is Christine, a young Chinese-American girl who comes from a conservative family that values family, education, and religion. She frequently studies and practices her violin and is a dutiful daughter. One day she encounters a girl named Moon, who comes trailing rumors of beating up other kids and maybe not really being Chinese. Her mom operates a plant nursery and they live a more bohemian lifestyle. To save money, Moon and her mom end up living in a spare unit on Christine's parents' property.

Moon is a big contrast to Christine; she is a confident vivacious person who is into art, dancing, and music, especially K-pop. She also has a special sort of vision, seeing all sorts of lights and celestial images, imagining that she is really from outer space. Her mom is much more permissive, and as they start to hang out more Christine gets exposed to more popular culture (and vegetarianism) and gets encouraged to get out of her shell. She does not always enjoy that process, and the pair have their conflicts. However, things take a serious turn when the true nature of Moon's visions is discovered, and the duo start to realize just how much they mean to each other.

At the center of this book is an exploration of relationships, whether they be friendships or family ones, and what really makes it work is the artwork. This book's creator Jen Wang has that rare ability to breathe life into her characters with her delicate linework and strong storytelling, and the coloring by Lark Pien further animates them while also creating a lush atmosphere and tonal shifts. Even though they are depicted in somewhat cartoonish manner, the people in this book seem real and relatable. I could spend hours just looking at the variety of their facial expressions and emotional reactions.

This whole enterprise is incredibly moving, and although a work of fiction it felt very real. I especially appreciated the endpapers of the book, where I learned just how personal this book was to the author and how she wove elements of her childhood into it. Her story and art combined to make a fully realized tale that is rich, sweet, and resonant.

Wang won multiple awards for her prior graphic novel The Prince and the Dressmaker, including an Eisner and the Mosaic Award from the Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards. She has a few other graphic novels to her credit, including In Real Life and Koko Be Good. She speaks about her work on Stargazing in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read of this book has been glowing. Publishers Weekly wrote in a starred review, "Plumbing the depths of Wang’s childhood for inspiration, this rich, heart-filled narrative will resonate with any reader who has ever felt different within their community." Caitlin Rosberg called it "a book that is full of sweetness and seriousness in turns, and offers a lot of kindness to characters and readers both." Nancy Powell summed it up as "a sweet and intimate story of friendship, of learning to be comfortable in one’s own skin, and learning to embrace the differences that make each person special in their own way." In another starred review, Kirkus Reviews concluded, "A shining gem of a book."

Stargazing was published by First Second, and they offer a preview and more information here.