Anya's Ghost

Square Fish

Anya's Ghost
Vera Brosgol
2012

The Summary
"Of all the things Anya expected to find at the bottom of an old well, a new friend wasn't one of them.  Especially not a new friend who's been dead for a century.

"Falling down a well is bad enough, but Anya's normal life might actually be worse.  She's embarrassed by her family, self-conscious about her body, and she's pretty much given up on fitting in at school.  A new friend - even a dead one - is just what she needs.

"But Anya's new B.F.F. isn't kidding about the 'forever' part..."

The Good
I liked reading Anya's Ghost.  Brosgol does an excellent job of highlighting the difficulties most teenagers face - peer pressure, family expectations, body image and identity issues - and she makes Anya's story accessible, makes it easy to become embroiled in her life, her misadventures with Emily (aka her ghost).

I also liked the Brosgol's illustrations.  I liked the flow of the panels and her art style, which conveyed a host of thoughts and feelings, keeping pages uncluttered and simple and smooth.  And the story is intriguing, unfolding a story that's suspenseful and creepy without overwhelming you with scary characters or gore.

Granted, it touches upon mature themes and ideas, but it's a something of a "gentle" ghost story that didn't leave me with that familiar, creepy-crawly feeling.  Moreover, while it might bring up certain mature topics - like sex, drugs, death, et cetera - it's no more than any adolescent would be introduced to in their regular lives.

Overall, Anya's Ghost is a good graphic novel with great art and a solid story.

The Bad
Anya is a young girl in search of a place to belong at school, among peers, with friends and family, but she's floundering - and she sometimes lashes out in response.  It makes me wince, sometimes, when she's cruel to her mother and brother, her friends, and others, and it's rather difficult to relive those angst-riddled years.

She's a good person, underneath it all.  You just don't get to see it at first.

The Ugly
Murder, but not what you originally expect.  There's a bit of madness and obsession involved, throw in a little tragedy - and you have a rather grim adventure.