The Wendy Project

by Veronica Fish

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 4 Stars

This is my first graphic novel, so it took me a little bit to get into the groove, but once I did, I really started to see this story coming together.

Wendy had been in an accident with both her brothers in the car. One brother is so traumatized, that he becomes mute, while the other is assumed dead. Since his body was not found, With no body found and Wendy believing she saw her brother "fly" away, she sets out on a mission to find him.

First things first, the illustrations were very beautiful, and I loved the deliberate use of color. Both the author and illustrator did a wonderful job of keeping me guessing. Is Wendy suffering from PTSD? Is she in denial? Or was her brother really wished away to another dimension? You really are not sure until the very end if this is fantasy or reality.

What I was sure about, was the pain Wendy was suffering from. She was carrying so much worry and grief related to the accident. I was quite amazed at how well these feelings of loss and helplessness were conveyed with so little text and so few pages.

I also loved the use and placement of the quotes from Peter Pan. Where they appeared and which pictures they accompanied really made them have a meaning that was specific to this tale.



Overall: A beautifully illustrated tale of grief and loss, which left me with with shiny eyes.