Library Finds: IN by Will McPhail

I visit the local library at least once a week. I am always on the lookout for new graphic novels and this one caught my eye on a recent excursion. It took me a while to begin reading it. It was actually overdue by the time I opened the pages to give it more than a passing glance. Once I began reading, I couldn't put it down until I had finished it.

What initially drew me in was the clean art style

While I had an affinity for the art style, the writing pulled me into it's orbit. Here was a guy struggling to make human connections and not from a lack of trying. It was immediately relatable to my own struggles to make meaningful connections with other human beings.

Those charming, bulging eyes are a hallmark throughout the experience.

The central relationship between Wren and Nick had me in rapture. I immediately liked Wren and grew to dislike Nick as near the end of the experience Nick's personal pain caused him to lash out in ways that I found extremely childish and unrelatable. Here was this wonderfully funny, patient, and worthwhile person that Nick so easily could dismiss. It honestly made me angry. Now I know that that makes the story more realistic, but it did leave a bad taste in my mouth. 

Some of the funniest scenes are when Nick talks to himself in his own mind

Despite disagreeing with the choices Nick makes, I admire his drive to make connections with others and his growth in trying to have that connection with his mother. That struck a personal chord for me.

Lastly, I applaud the dramatic use of color in the sequences where Nick is able to make those human connections. Those are some amazing sequences that I don't want to spoil for the reader.

When the colors appear, prepare to be dazzled

IN is a worthwhile experience and it puts Will McPhail on my radar. It's published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and can be purchased from Barnes and Noble, Book Soup, or Indiebound.

Worthy of Collection? Yes.