"Raised by Ghosts," is a Stellar Book About Growing Up, Finding a Place in the World, and Writing Lots of Notes!

I had the chance to acquire an advance copy of, "Raised by Ghosts," from Fantagraphics for the purpose of review. It releases to all finer bookstores and comic shops on February 4th (and the 5th for comic stores). Written and illustrated by Briana Loewinsohn, it is a semi-autobiographical account of being a teenager in the 1990s. Focused on Biana and her friends' love of writing notes, the book intersperses various thoughts jotted down by Briana with the comic segments, adding context to what we see. While the everyday Briana feels disconnected and almost alien to the World, the Briana we see within her writing is sharp, witty, and engaged. The notes are an outlet, a release, and something Briana treasures.

"Raised by Ghosts," gets its title from how Briana's parents are so removed from her life at times that they almost feel absent and a bit like otherworldly entities, only occasionally making an impact on daily life. Briana makes the most of things, however, using her love of notes and also drawing to eventually make friends and feel a bit more present in the present, despite all the challenges everyday life can bring. A lot of, "Raised by Ghosts," has a quiet and minimalist feel, until about 100 pages in where we get a fascinatingly surreal segment that offers a bit of a glimpse into Briana's psyche. The carefully constructed page borders and, "Gutters," between panels disappear into full-page splashes of lines and doodles messily strewn about before eventually being organized into Briana's many notes, drawings, and so forth--it is a masterful method of showing how she handles her many thoughts and emotions via her writing/doodling/etc.

"Raised by Ghosts," is geared towards a Young Adult audience, but anyone who grew up in the 1990s can definitely relate to it as well considering how we've all been teenagers once. Plus, those of us older folks especially recall those, "Good old/bad old," days in the past. I and many others surely have recollections of digging for records at the music store or hanging out at an all-ages space (be it a club, coffee shop, or whatever) and listening to the latest crappy local band we were convinced was bound to achieve superstardom someday. There is a mix of nostalgia and timelessness to, "Raised by Ghosts," that makes it a real treat of a read along with the fantastic art by Loewinsohn (which especially amazes in the aforementioned dreamlike section).

I'd highly recommend checking out, "Raised by Ghosts," when it hits stores in the very near future. Brianna Loewinsohn has created a superb graphic novel for readers younger or older as whether one lived through the 1990s or is a teen now in the 2020s certain things never change--for better and worse, I suppose!

5 out of 5 Stars.