Constellations by Kate Glasheen (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Constellations by Kate Glasheen April Spisak Glasheen, Kate Constellations; written and illus. by Kate Glasheen. Holiday House, 2023 [224p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780823450718 $22.99 Paper ed. ISBN 9780823454884 $14.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780823455386 $11.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 8-12 The 1980s in Troy, New York (and almost everywhere else) is an all but impossible time to freely explore or challenge gender identity, but Claire isn't trying to be an activist—they just don't want the first (and sometimes only) question they get asked to be whether they are a boy or a girl. Heavy drinking smooths out and dulls the sharp edges of their pain until they finally land in court-ordered rehab. Suddenly, Claire is surrounded by other teens who are also struggling with addiction, isolation, anxiety, and depression, and they feel part of a group for the first time. A terrific counselor, some new coping strategies to replace drinking, and bolstering from their new friends all combine to help Claire feel confident they will do okay after their release. Unfortunately, not all their friends from rehab fare as well, going back to lives that are just too heavy, too dark, or too hopeless to not revert to old, destructive habits. Exaggerated size and perspective emphasize raw experiences throughout the graphic novel as emotional faces sometimes fill the panel, crowding out everything else. The watercolor and ink illustrations add even more weight to the scenes, with shadows, color shifts, and even the posture of the characters all conveying despair and, even more notable for its scarcity, joy. An honest, straight-forward author's note identifies the book as having an autobiographical core as they also felt born [End Page 259] into a body that didn't match their identity, were crushed by societal expectations, and went through rehab where they formed intense friendships that were sometimes positive, sometimes traumatic. Glasheen ends with a quiet observation that even if the reader is not hurting as much as Claire, there is connectivity in that we all are carrying something that, if left untended or unspoken, could become too heavy to hold. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois