Stargazing

by Jen Wang

[nannah]

I fell in love with Jen Wang’s art style while reading The Prince and the Dressmaker. Its storyline and wonderful representation made me eagerly await the next thing Jen Wang wrote -- and I’ve finally gotten a hold of it!

Representation:
- almost every character is Asian American
- there’s another one, but it’s a spoiler

When Moon moves next door, she immediately becomes Christine’s best friend, despite being everything Christine is not: funny, confident, and “not Asian” to use Christine’s own words. Their friendship introduces Christine to nail polish, dancing, and K-Pop, things her strict parents would normally tell her are for women “who don’t want good jobs”. Moon eventually tells Christine that she experiences visions from celestial beings who tell her she’s not from this world. Christine chalks it up to Moon’s eccentricity until she’s invited to a birthday party where she learns the truth.

I love stories with a strong personal connection. In this case, the events that happen to Moon Lin (the secondary protagonist) in the latter half of the graphic novel happened to Jen Wang herself as a child. Jen Wang also mentions how the story mirrors her own experience growing up in a close-knit Asian-American community, with the blessings and challenges that it presents.

Just like with her other graphic novel, Stargazing leaves me feeling warm and content and pretty much in love with the world. There are plenty of emotional moments that really pack a punch, like Christine’s conversation with her dad about perfection or any of the scenes in the second half dealing with Moon’s visions -- but much like the fashion show in The Prince and the Dressmaker, the ending creates a genuinely powerful warmth. Especially combined with the art style.

Honestly there’s not too much more to say here except read for a charming and sweet story.