RaveThe Nerd DailyIt doesn’t just share these types of experiences; it feels like they felt. Like dredging up memories I haven’t thought about in years. Remembering a time that was equally full of the reckless abandon of youth and the pressure to fit in. It’s funny … the whole ‘90s style, the aesthetic, has circled back around now. Guess it’s the perfect time for a book like this ... Forsyth Harmon stuns with her debut, Justine, an illustrated novel which, while brief, is not short on impact. Harmon is stunningly perceptive in her ability to convey the experiences of adolescence: The uncertainty of who you are which gets tangled up and lost in assimilating to who you are with. The normal teenage angst which often masks the underlying issues young women face with their bodies and their minds. The particular way friendships at this age are a complicated blend of admiration, envy, love, and hate. The mistakes made and the lessons learned, some not until it’s too late.The prose is amplified by Harmon’s intricate line drawings which serve to flesh out the story without having to say a single word. Simple, yet bold, these stark black and white illustrations help fill the gaps in the reader’s imagination while also spurring further reflection upon the narrative. One without the other would feel incomplete; however with the images and text situated side by side, the book feels whole.
