Thank you to First Second Books and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. TW: depiction of suicide attempt
In Limbo by Deb JJ Lee is an autobiographical graphic memoir about her experiences as a young girl who recently moved to a New Jersey from Seoul but finds both high school and her new home difficult to navigate. After a period of struggles with her family, friends, and herself, Deborah finds happiness in artwork and embracing her Korean heritage on a summer trip to Seoul. The comic is incredibly detailed, and its well-written narrative provides readers a sense of what goes through Deborah’s mind. A heartfelt read!

“For a long time I thought things had to be fixed for me. When really I had to work on myself to make the hardest parts of my life become more manageable.”
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for my advanced readers copy of In Limbo.

A debut YA graphic memoir about a Korean-American girl's coming-of-age story.
Tigger Warnings: Attempted suicide and abuse
I loved this memoir AND it was a graphic novel. Fantastic! It was heartbreaking and raw. Filled with emotion, I could not put this book down. It was a tough book to get through, but it was still an enjoyable read.
I would recommend this book to those who like memoirs, listening to heavy topics, and learning about other’s cultures.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

In muted blues and grays, this graphic memoir tells a story about mental illness, feeling out of place, and trying to fit in while existing as a Korean immigrant to the USA. While at times bittersweet, and even painful, the tone of the book was overall hopeful, and the people in it were complexly and vividly portrayed. I loved the way languages were explored in the lettering, and the art was absolutely gorgeous. Overall, it's a lovely book, but one that may hurt to read. In a good way.

At the same time an inspiring and sad story of a young American-Korean girl who can't find her place in the world. Family, friends, school, hobbies... nothing seems to be working out for Deborah (Jung-Jin) and she falls deeper and deeper into despair - until she begins to feel completely disconnected to the world around her.

This graphic novel memoir is full of relatable coming-of-age issues but Deb has added troubles as her two cultures clash. She's not American enough for her classmates and not Korean enough for her family. Eventually, this takes a toll on her mental health.

I got more invested in Deb's journey than I thought I would be and while I might not personally love the art style, it fits the story and makes it easy to follow along when we jump around in time and memories.

A haunting memoir about growing up floating between the safety of childhood and the rocky teen years that I related to a little too much. As someone who used to disassociate as a response to emotional abuse, Deb's work looks like what it feels like to not be fully connected to the world around you until something (or someone) brings you back to the present.

In limbo: a graphic memoir, is a graphic novel written and illustrated by Deb JJ. Lee. Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for sending this graphic novel for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Not so pretty, not talented, not good at school. Not American. Not Korean.
Just not enough.
This is the story of Deb, a person that never feels like it’s enough.
The person that has to live like a Korean in a society that is not the Korean one, or the one living like an American but never being recognized as one of them?
This graphic novel - a memoir - was powerful and sad in many ways.
The authors open up to several important themes by deciding to work on this autobiography. It's a very personal journey that makes us think but also hurts a lot.
From the discrimination that Deb experiences from a young age, from insecurities to the moment when this person feels completely lost and has no escape.
In addition to the experiences of the Asian community in America (an important topic as Asian Hate that we should remember and talk about), we see a very important issue at the margins: mental health and how important it is, especially for teenagers.

Deb grows, falls, matures, and gets back up.
The tumultuous relationship with the Korean "tiger mom" changes over time, and the fact that such an important topic as the parent-child relationship was dealt with, had a powerful effect on the narration and the reader.
Some choices are courageous, others sad and dictated by loneliness.
It is very easy to sympathize with the protagonist, but also to distance oneself from some abusive behaviors that Deb experiences firsthand, as the victim but as a headsman too.
Last but not least, it is important to love ourselves, to devote ourselves to what is good for us, including the people who love us, and above all, to find the strength to forgive after reaching a personal balance.
Because forgiveness is indeed good for the heart, but it's also true that you have to do it when you are convinced that you want to forgive, and not out of fear of losing others.

Finally, the drawings: are soft, expressive, and blue, just like Deb's heart.

"Having more worlds, circles like these means you have pillars to support you if one of them falls. And then you'll have so many pillars that maybe, just maybe, you'll eventually rediscover that love for your first one."

In Limbo is a beautiful graphic memoir that follows the story of a young Korean American girl as she grows up throughout high school and deals with different mental health challenges.

I loved the art style of this book. The drawings were so captivating and did a great job of depicting the emotions of the main character. I really liked the story it told about the main character's mental health struggles and how she unintentionally hurt others in her life. It was great to see her begin the process of forgiving herself. I also really liked how she discussed the problems she was experiencing with her family. It hit on a lot of important points that many Asian American families experience. Overall, this book had beautiful drawings and a beautiful story.

⭐️5
📚Reminds me of This One Summer or Bloom.

Pros:
There are a lot of coming of age stories that gloss over how messy and painful growing out of interests and friends can be. This story does such a beautiful job of both.
In the Fifth Act having both Deb and Kate acknowledge and multiple things can be hard to cope with and sometimes you're just a shitty friend is very sweet.
The language through line is really beautiful especially introducing another character that is learning a language as more of a hobby than a sense of self.
This is a book a wish I had in the transition from middle-high school and into school. Lee does such a wonderful job describing all of these stages of life.


Cons:

Other:
I actually learned that the term Bildungsroman means a novel whose principal subject is the moral, psychological, and intellectual development of a usually youthful main character.
I will absolutely be buying this book as a physical copy to add to my shelf of First Second books and for my niece and nephew.

I don't care who you are what your school days were like: you'll feel the pressure in In Limbo bearing down on your head. I thought this was really well done and captured that anxiety that so many tweens and teens feel from school, parents, and society.

Full review on No Flying No Tights https://noflyingnotights.com/blog/2023/02/27/in-limbo/
"In Limbo is not an easy book to read. The pace of this memoir is slow and deliberate. It focuses on Lee’s arc as a teen coming into themselves, rather than the events of their high school years. The content is also heavy. The book includes depression, abuse, and suicide attempts. However, for those who find their way to this memoir, it is a rewarding experience. I will highly recommend it to students who are fans of Tillie Walden, weighty memoirs, or anyone who needs reminding that the comic medium is a literary art form worthy of acclaim."

This book has a beautiful meaning and I love how it touched on difficult topics. Graphic novels are typically not my thing, and I think that might have affected my reading experience, but I really loved the artwork.

This had such beautiful imagery, all designed in a monochromatic blue-and-white colour palette, but it was a much heavier read than I had expected. There are themes of insecurity, both about the main character's appearance and her personality, and loneliness that were quite painful to read about. Poor mental health, particularly depression, plays a huge part in this graphic novel - and there is an on-page suicide attempt to be aware of. I think my problem is that there is never any real sense of closure or resolve with the issues that are brought up; the main character does go to therapy, but it is abruptly stopped after her mother stops paying for it; and the abuse that the main character experiences at the hands of her mother is never addressed as such, and instead it is more suggested that there isn't necessarily anything that wrong with what happened to her? I thought that if that had at least been addressed as being abuse, it could have left a more poignant message. But of course, with any memoir, it is difficult as the author has likely not fully come to terms with everything herself.

In Limbo: A Graphic Memoir follows Deb JJ Lee's life starting from her childhood into her teenage years. From the beginning of the novel, the heaviness of the story is very palpable. This memoir deals with domestic abuse (which later turns into a strained relationship with her mother), their immigration to the US as well as the racism, bullying and alienation Deborah faces due to her 'being different'. This inevitably pushes her further away from others, like one of her best friends at school, into severe mental health issues. Self-hatred and depression can make a person quite self-centred at times which is something I had to learn for myself in the last couple of years too and I absolutely loved Deb's honesty and rawness of her feelings and learning process in this memoir.

The illustrations are beautifully done. At times they even reminded me of Hayao Miyazaki's style (Studio Ghibli), especially in the way the food was drawn with so much intricate details.

In short: heavy, beautiful and honest, I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for what Deb JJ Lee brings out next!

I'm not going to lie, I don't really know how to review this one. Just know I thought this was absolutely incredible. The art was also just amazing. I definitely recommend reading this one.

CONTENT WARNING: Child Abuse, Suicidal Ideation

In Deb JJ Lee’s graphic memoir, In Limbo, Lee opens up a door into her adolescence and reveals scenes that that are hard to look away from. Lee’s art has a depth that is hard to find in a lot of graphic novels. The details give a sense of presence that is sometimes off putting, and Lee’s narrative style is very unreflective. There is very little sense of critique. This is a double edged sword, on one hand it helps the reader experience the events as they are portrayed, but on the other it sometimes leaves reader at loss for words. You don’t often have a clear picture of Deb’s feelings. When watch things happen to her and see her reactions, but it isn’t until much later in the narrative that we get any sense of how any of these events have been effecting her. For a fictional work I think this would be par for course, but I don’t know if this will resonate with everyone who like memoirs. It also, in comparison to most memoirs, covers a small portion of Deb’s life. For a fictional work this wouldn’t be an issue, but I think a lot of people would want to see more. I was very pleased, I loved the art, and I got a lot from the story. I related to a lot of Deb’s experiences, and I know a lot of people who have gone through similar struggles to her. For me, someone who’s been in a lot of the positions in the story, I could easily put myself in a lot of the characters shoes. For some other people I could see how the lack of reflective text could leave some people at a loss.

I would recommend this to anyone who might not be triggered by it just off the art alone, to be honest. 4.5/5

I really enjoyed this graphic memoir. The drawings were perfect and really matched the feel of the story. The characters will be relatable for teens who are navigating similar issues in their own lives. Recommended for all libraries serving teens!

I think this was the first time i’ve read a memoir in graphic novel form! I loved the story flow and how it was able to be so heart breaking & heart warming all at the same time. I also loooooved the art style and how to blue tint fit the story perfectly.

This is an incredibly raw and moving memoir in graphic novel form that deals with themes such as racism, parental abuse, suicide attempts, depression, etc. The story is very vulnerable, emotional and sometimes heavy but nevertheless, it's a memorable life story that will stick with you a while after reading it.

Deb JJ Lee’s In Limbo: A Graphic Memoir is one of the most beautiful graphic novels I’ve ever read. Between the artwork and the story of one teenage girl’s struggle to fit in and find acceptance, the book is the total package. I’ll happily read anything this author ever writes. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What an emotional book that takes you on a ride from the very beginning and showcases growing up, dealing with not quite fitting in and mental health. Thanks again to NetGalley and First Second Books for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for feedback.

Deborah (Jung-Jin) Lee’s story was very emotional and had me flipping the pages quickly to find out what happened next. They struggled growing up with feeling a little out of place, changing friendships, and hard times at home. You could feel the emotions between Deb and their mom while at home, thinking everything was good one minute to running out of the house to clear one’s head. This in limbo that Deb felt pulls at your heartstrings, but something that made me root for them while reading was the fact that art and self-care made things a little less hectic. I loved the art in this book and enjoyed seeing the return trip to South Korea through this medium - this is why graphic novels are so important. For being a debut graphic memoir, I was really pleased and look forward to more future works by Deb!