Welcome to St. Hell (GN H19126we) is perfect for fans of Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe, Fine: A Comic About Gender by Rhea Ewing, and Kisses for Jet: A Coming-of-Gender Story by Joris Bas Backer.
This graphic memoir caused all the feels! It starts with adult Lewis introducing his hometown of St. Helens, England (affectionately referred to as St. Hell throughout the book) and his pre-transition self, Lois. Quick note: Lewis introduces his pre-transition self as Lois and uses she/her pronouns to refer to himself during this pre-transition period. Lois spends the bulk of her high school career – age 11-16 – trying to be a “normal girl” to avoid bullying from her classmates. Once Lois enters college – ages 16-18 – she begins to explore her sexuality and gender: she publicly identifies first as a cis-lesbian and later as a straight, transman. During the recounting of his transition story, adult Lewis interjects with poignant interviews of his friends and family, which he mentioned he used as a tool of catharsis and healing.
Adult Lewis interjects himself into the recounting of his adolescent years to provide hindsight wisdom as well as some humor. As a child of the 90s, I appreciate the pop culture references from learning to code for the perfect Myspace page to the public’ collective obsession with Justin Timberlake. Lewis Hancox’s journey from adolescence to adulthood is portrayed with a brutally honest and refreshingly honest style, which made me tear up and laugh out loud. There is a portion of the book that covers Lois’ struggle with an eating disorder that folks should be aware of before picking up this book.
This is a must read for anyone who likes graphic memoirs and LGBTQIA+ stories!
Posted by alexaep2 at 5:40 pm