Lost at Sea by Bryan Lee O'Malley

Lost At Sea by Bryan Lee O'Malley 2005 160 Pages 5/5 I don't know what it was about this graphic novel but it really got to me. In a good way. After reading the Scott Pilgrim series and then this, I've come to the conclusion that Bryan Lee O'Malley may be the best person out there writing graphic novels. He has the ability to evoke so many different emotions in his readers. In this reader at least. I think that Lost at Sea captured the feeling of adolescence perfectly, that's what it's main focus is. Raleigh is our main character and she's a young girl, 18 years old who's trying to find her soul. She's at that awkward age somewhere between still being a kid and trying to grow up at the same time, that age that we've all struggled with. That age where the world can hold so much power and awe inspiring goodness and at the same time can leave us feeling helpless. I think I'm still there sometimes. There are things that Raleigh talks about that just hit home. Like looking up at the night sky and staring at the stars and having it bring back fond memories of past nights staring at the stars, yet evoking such a sense of melancholy at the same time. Raleigh has also had a couple of traumatic experiences and as a result begins to lose hold of reality a bit. But she has friends around her that she didn't know that she had that keep her with it and let her lose it if she needs to. It was just a great cast of characters with a wonderful background of a road trip, symbolic of her own journey of finding herself. I just loved it. About thirty pages into this graphic novel, I started thinking that I really need to invest in a bunch of copies of this for adolescents that I counsel. I would've loved a book like this when I was 18. Of course we all know that we're not alone in the world, but that's easy to forget sometimes. When someone else can capture an experience that's universal, yet so personal like this, it can really make a difference. Check it.