This was a beautifully illustrated story about loneliness, connection and fear. Knowing that you are missing out on a connection but not being able to wade through the fear to get there is something that I suspect most people can relate to in some form. Whether the fear is looking stupid, finding out more than you are prepared to digest emotionally, or just not knowing how to get there all of the scenarios are unfortunately familiar. I love Nicks inner dialogue as he recognizes what he is missing out on yet still cannot get himself there until a pivotal moment that opens him up. Just as he is able to take those baby steps forward toward making real connections a life event knocks him backward demonstrating how life can cause us to shut down the vulnerability that it takes to make connections. I won't reveal the ending but it was perfect as Nick is left standing at a crossroad of debating whether he intends to miss out on memories that he hasn't yet made. Thank you Net Galley for making this ARC available to review.

I read this in a single sitting and wasn’t ready for the emotional roller coaster this story was going to take me on. I really relate to Nick in wanting to make a deeper connection with people and being unsure on how, and seeing the process he goes through to get a taste of getting to know
the people close to him was so well documented through the author’s illustrations.

In is a semi-autobiographical contemporary graphic novel about a young man called Nick trying to connect with the people he meets in his daily life. Nick is a millennial working as a cartoonist for a magazine (like the author). In his efforts to connect with others, he realizes that he also has to let down his walls to allow others to open up to him.

It’s what I’d describe as a quiet story, since there’s not a lot of action in it to shock and surprise the reader and speed the story along — not that it needs to be fast-paced since it is quite short. The story is introspective. As Nick tries to figure out how best to connect with the people he encounters, it makes the reader reflect on how they manage to do so in their lives, especially these days when we’re much more likely to stare at out phones drowning in neverending scrolls rather than speak to and connect with the people around us.

It’s also a heartwrenching story. Of the many people we see Nick interact with, we also see him with his mom. Every couple days, he spends time with his mom as she works on a fixer-upper. But later on in the story, we learn that she’s terminally ill and we see Nick and his sister trying to understand and cope with such news.

In isn’t a story I thought I would like when I started it because of its quietness and seeming blandness when I saw the cover and skipped through a few pages. But I started reading and it grew on me. Sure, I didn’t understand what was with the “children of the bowl” in the first couple pages, but seeing Nick really try to connect and understand others appealed to me and the dry humor throughout added some levity — I especially liked the names of the cafés.

ART STYLE

The majority of the comic is pretty bland — grey, black, white. This continues for some time that I thought the entire comic would be this way, so I was surprised when Nick succeeds in connecting with the handyman who fixes his overflowing toilet and I turned the page to a breathtaking one of color that looks like a painting. I liked that surprise. After all that blandness, it seemed like a treat.

So despite the constant grey, black, white used for the majority of the story, there are scenes of color used when Nick succeeds in connecting with someone on a deeper level, which I really liked.

I also liked the illustration style. It’s not flashy, but it’s detailed when it needs to be. It’s actually quite simple and fits the tone of the story.

OVERALL: ★★★☆☆ ½

In was a good read and a quick one too. In some ways, I found it relatable because I think we all feel similar to Nick at some points in life where we just want to form a deeper connection with the people we interact with instead of making meaningless small talk.

I didn't expect to be this emotional in the end. Wow! That was definitely beautiful. I loved the simple artwork and some pages had beautiful colorful artworks too. This was an amazing graphic novel to read. Thank you for this arc.

I loved this graphic novel, it was one of the best I've ever read. The art was really impressive and I the story was really touching.

when they say pictures are worth a thousand words, this what they meant. i read this in one sitting; it's simplistic but painfully relatable. feeling like we're acting out a script with our pre-made conversations and shallow human interactions. wanting and struggling to really connect with other people, feeling jaded by the world. this is something that i feel a lot of people struggle with, but have a difficult time articulating. mcphail does this wonderfully, with minimalist illustrations and tasteful uses of color. this isn't a story that just happens to be a graphic novel, it is a story driven by the illustrations themselves and it's fantastic. and though i thought that it could have been developed a little a bit more, i really enjoyed this and highly recommend it to anyone feeling a bit lonely, so like, everyone.

This is an incredible exploration of a person feeling lonely and looking for real connections.

Nick is simply going through the motions, feeling disconnected from life and struggling to find a way back "in". You follow him around as he watches people and listen to his inner dialogue, yearning and working but failing and stopping himself before making the first step. It's such a common, human thing that any of us can remember: swallowing a question instead of asking it, giving up before trying. McPhail finds a great way to explore such feelings in such a short times and emcompasses you immediately. The art lends itself very well to that. Simple pages with white space, the focus on facial expressions and the spaces between characters. It was sometimes too slow for me but it fits to the atmosphere. And the revelation he has halfway through truly moved me.
I had wished for a few more pages in the hand to come back down from the emotional ride.

Lovely story! The bulging eyes unnerved me somewhat. The cover drew me in initially, and the wit of the dialogue kept me there.

I AM SO EXCITED TO TALK ABOUT THIS ONE!!

*I received an advanced reader's copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review. The following opinions are purely my own. IN is set to be published on 5/18/2021. This review does NOT contain spoilers.*

Summary: In follows the life of a young comic artist, Nick, and his confusion/frustration with the superficiality of most of his interactions with other people. He struggles to grapple with detachment and steer a conversation toward something meaningful. Along the way he examines his relationships with some family members, some strangers, and some acquaintances-- all of which connect in more ways than he could have predicted.

Themes: This is mostly a story about detachment, even dissociation. But there are also themes of the-meaning-of-life, reconnecting with family, experiencing doubt in one's purpose-- but all of it is delivered with an incredibly funny, tongue-in-cheek, ultra-self-aware sense of humor that I barely noticed the depth of the story until it was staring me in the face (at which point it felt like a punch in the gut, but in a "wow, this was really clever writing" kind of way).

Story and Characters: I found Nick to be so lovable and relatable, even as silly and aloof as he was. He was the exact sort of awkwardly charming, quietly intelligent, quick-witted yet still a little naive 30-something single guy that I want to read about. There's not very many straight white single artist dudes that have me jumping to read from their perspectives, but Nick is definitely the exception. Over the course of the story I admired him, shook my head at him, pitied him, rolled my eyes at him, shed a tear for him, and laughed at him (and with him). Nick's life goes from "how can I stop having meaningless performance-y small talk conversations with the people in my life" to "how can I create more meaning and joy with the people in my life" to "how can I appreciate and notice the meaning and joy that is already in my life." And trust me when I say there are a lot of things I'm not telling you, because of spoilers, but OH BOY does it get sweet and juicy and profound.

Art: I LOVED this art style. The art is minimalistic, the panels have plenty of room to breathe. But the most interesting aspect, I found, was the use of both colored images and black and white panels depending on the scene/mood of our main character. The colored panels were used sparingly, and the effect was so powerful I truly don't think this book would have been so great if it were all color or all black and white.

Overall: In is ~so~ precisely the kind of graphic novel that I devour in one sitting, and will then enthusiastically recommend to everyone I know anytime the topic of "graphic novels" comes up. This is an awesome graphic novel for grown-ups with some hard-hitting themes and ideas, YET also a fresh, funny, self-aware tone. This reminded me of my all-time favorite book, Daytripper (Fabio Moon & Gabriel Ba), in the best possible way. Tough stuff with a sprinkle of whimsy, a dash of ~coincidence~ and a whole lot of wit. I LOVED loved loved this graphic novel.

Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for an e-ARC!

Nick is an illustrator who is trying to find meaning in his life, while unable to make connections with the people he is around. As the story progresses and a number of events occur, Nick learns how to reach out to others and have meaningful relationships.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel. The graphic novel does go over the real anxieties of trying to find meaning in one's self, as well as in connections with other people, which I think many people can relate to. While dealing with a heavy topic, it is able to have levity and comedy in its text. Nick's relationship to his mother and Wren, I found to be touching.

In certain sections, the story turns to color illustrations [I won't spoil why], but they are gorgeously rendered.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one!

In is a story about Nick, an illustrationist for a weekly newspaper. Nick struggles to make meaningful connections with people all around as he finds social interaction an act that is similar to being a lead in a theater production. As someone that also struggles to form meaningful connections this book made me feel seen and heard in many different ways. I relate to Nick and all of his struggles.
Living in a modern world as a millennial, I thought the book would discuss social media and the internet but it is not that kind of book. Nick desires to live a simple life, where he is not judged by his every action or needing approval for everything that he does.

He feels joy and fun, whilst longing to tell his family or friends of his experiences but then the feeling fleeted away when he finds an opportunity to tell them his feelings. This experience from his childhood soon became a habit of his when he is already 20-something year old struggling to share and connect with the people around him.

In the book, we can see Nick's struggle with this issue as a dark solid border on the page. It is a barrier that literally manifested from Nick'. The monumental moment when this border finally opens up is his conversation with his mother. An inevitable conversation that we will all have as we get older.

In is a story that is meant to be written as a graphic novel and it works. The visual aspects of the story immersed me deeper into the story and gave me good jolt of excitement as I turn every page. There is purpose in every page, the way the artist uses colours and framing is full of intent. The feeling of emptiness and then space that are created when Nick shifts between not-feeling and feeling become tangible.
This book is not at all full of seriousness, it gave me a good chuckle from the jabs of millennial behavior that is brought up, especially the coffee shop jokes. It is neither offensive or poorly done, it is playful in a sense and done very well.
It makes me wonder when I read this graphic novel about the feeling of detachment, it shows how people my age struggle with this concept in our lives as it gets easier for people to fall out from your life. I love graphic novels like this, it makes you think with beautiful art and intentional fun jabs.

This is a book about Nick, a young artist struggling to find connection. He feels the mundanity of city coffee shops, each more try-hard than the last, and not only a lack of personality but a lack of courage in the every day small talk we have with one another. His search is a relatable one as we all find ourselves looking to feel something but don’t always have the bravery it requires to be vulnerable enough for that.

Nick was adorable and awkward and funny and I loved the eye-roll obliqueness of him, especially with women. All the characters were wonderful and distinct, truly a feat in so little space and fewer words. Wren, hilarious. Anne, huge first born vibes. Even better, Nick’s relationships with each person were unique as were the ways they were able to break through the barriers of self-absorbtion to really see the other person.

The dialogue was snappy and funny and sad and it brought themes and memories around really well. (The water slide call back really got me) The drawing style was nice as well. Their eyes were cartoony but expressive and there was just something endearing about that. The bits in color? Breathtaking. On the one hand, I wished there were more, but on the other they were exactly where they needed to be and were so, so effective.

Ultimately, this book is about being real and telling the truth. When someone asks how you are, what happens when you don’t reflexively say “fine”? It’s about how much our worlds widen and color when we make effort for authentic experiences.

I hardly EVER give books five stars but this book just got better and better. If there was a book that defined the intent with which I live my life, it’s this one. God, we just want to connect with one another! Not to mention added bonuses of humor and heart, understanding the modern dating scene, and absolutely crushing the satirical coffeeshop names. I need a physical copy of this asap.

HUGE thanks to netgalley, hmh, and Mr. Will.

I finished this book a while ago but for some reason, I forgot to review it. I honestly don't remember much from it and I think that might be that while it was an okay and somewhat enjoyable read, it's just not one that grabbed me and struck me as memorable. This book did make me feel emotions at time, so I did connect with and care a little about the characters so it wasn't a necessarily bad read.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC copy of 'In'.

I often see Will McPhail's cartoons in the New Yorker and it was interesting to see his work in long-form. I thought he did a great job of capturing super specific facial expressions in his characters throughout the book. A short relaxing read about feeling jaded from city life and not being able to have meaningful conversations with strangers and family alike. But besides the funny café names, it was also kind of dull. The b/w to color transitions for the ‘in’ moments felt a little too grand for how basic the realizations were. I think it was an ordinary story that a lot of people could relate to, but in the end there wasn't much that was memorable.

A young man looking for meaning in life beyond the superficial. He wants to know how to be a part of the In always feeling like he is part of the Out. How that is possible I do not know because, if you are Out, most other people that are part of the Out do not announce they are part of the Out, so you tend to be a part of the Out on your own. Did you understand that? Okay, good.

He begins this adventure by having an impromptu conversation with a plumber. A deeply flinching conversation with said plumber. Surprise, Surprise. The plumber responds. Conversation had. On to the next. And so it goes.

He continues to attempt these conversations. Some people respond honestly without reaction and others refuse and shut him down immediately. Along the way, he meets a woman at bar and begin an off hand relationship with very little intimacy (my definition of intimacy and yours may be different).

She opens his eyes to the truth of this journey he started. He had revolved his inquisitiveness around himself and how he fits. Nothing about how those around him fit. Unfortunately, through a devastating loss, he sees exactly how much he is missing and that it is not necessarily about the In and Out, but about the all.

The artwork is beautiful. The transition from black and white to color when he, or any other character in this work, come to an 'AHA" moment is perfect. I was able to fathom the depth of understanding or struggle the characters were dealing with at that moment. I enjoyed the plot of the story. I actually feel like the main character and had woken up to find what I was looking for was not what I thought it should be. I really liked this.
Very much.

Thanks to NetGalley, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and Will McPhail for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Hard to write down my thoughts on this one. I liked some of it, but some of it also wasn't my cup of tea. Or maybe I didn't read it at the right time? I enjoyed the illustrations though, very eye-pleasing.

Many thanks to NetGalley for sending me this graphic novel to review.

The title “IN” is revealing. The very cover/first page of the book is a picture of Nick, probably inside a room, looking “out” of a window. And this is significant because this image is often repeated: there are some illustrations of an isolated Nick, brushing his teeth, against the urban landscape of an elevated motorway which we can see through the window.
Nick is a lonely young man living in a busy metropolis. He spends his time alone in his room listening to Joni Mitchell, visiting a series of bars and coffee shops and sketching people “out of doors.” His being an artist enforces his sense of alienation as he is forever looking at people from the “outside” and capturing their external image, not personally engaged with them on a personal level. He sits alone on the bench of a subway station or isolated in a subway train looking at a couple hugging.

Will McPhail effectively communicates his inability to communicate through word and image. At the very beginning of the novel, Nick is happiest to be alone on the waterslide in a water park. The moment other kids join him he loses his sense of enjoyment. We see Nick’s loneliness in his desperate attempt to make conversation with a plumber who has come to repair a leak in his washroom. He offers him coffee and does his utmost to prolong the encounter. Even with his neighbor to whom he has to give a parcel, we see his thoughts—longing to make conversation with her—and the resultant inability to articulate his needs. He meets his mother occasionally but for the major part of the novel, he has little communication with her as they paint walls independently. When he makes a surprise call to his sister, she is flabbergasted as, in all these years, he has never called her up for a chat.
He has not seen his nephew for a long time. Yet, when he makes an effort to take care of him, they bond very well. His isolation is redeemed by his meeting with Wren, an oncologist. The initial sexual escapade is brilliantly conveyed not in words but through a series of discarded garments. In fact, McPhail’s artistic skills are to be admired. Often there is very little text, but a series of images which are more effective than any words. McPhail also cleverly uses black and white images and colored ones to make the novel a delight to read.

I enjoyed this graphic novel mainly because the art was so eye pleasing, but also the plot was interesting.

This graphic novel follows Will as he tries to get himself to have more meaningful interactions with people. Readers get to see his inner monologues and also, the various relationships in his life. Unfortunately, this graphic novel was missing something. It skimmed the surface of issues that could have been explored on a deeper level. I could feel the author having much to say but holding back. I really wanted to like this novel but it was missing a certain depth that made me feel distant to the main character and the story overall.

I was given this book as an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Will McPhail’s IN is a poignant portrayal of nostalgia and belongingness in the lives of modern souls lost in urban landscapes. As we follow Nick’s search for a sense of identity through thorough explorations of soul-sucking alt coffee shops and fake personas he imagines for himself in deliberately sad bars, it is easy to grow fond of the way he practices his own existence; wanting to be perceived as a sad man, as a sorrowful existential artist or as one of the regulars and having a natural curiosity as to how others regard him.

Art styles and witty writing are combined skilfully to bring out the intuitive humour and emotional narration in the storytelling of IN, whose ultimate motive is the need for communication and raw connection with humans through the understanding of oneself and the ability to open up and find others who are willing to do the same in return.

Highly recommended!