Tina's Mouth- An Existential Comic Diary4stars

 

 

An Indian Diary to a French Philosopher

By Keshni Kashyap, Illustrated by Mari Araki

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $18.95, 245 pages

A high school that has done “Equus” is downright scary. Tina’s Mouth is an existential diary of one girl’s journey through her senior year, with all of the tribulations of that year. Her journey is complicated by her family, boyfriends, and her best friends. Although this would be a good book to gift a high school senior, there is language and uncomfortable situations are presented.

The diary makes for a great framing device, and it works well for the book. Sartre’s presence as the person that Tina speaks to is also a great touch; it makes things a bit more grounded. The art works rather well, drawing out the text, as it were, enhancing and helping explain what we are reading, making for a great reading experience. The situations that Tina finds herself in are nicely realistic with little added to them to make them more dramatic; the situations are allowed to stand on their own. The characters are allowed to shine through, warts and all, making for a great look at the horrors of adolescence. Not only is this a great book, and it is a great look at adolescence.

Reviewed By Jamais Jochim

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