Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
‘Guts’ by Raina Telgemeier begins with a lovely dedication: To anyone who feels afraid.
And aren’t we all afraid of something? The author makes the dedication feel universal by not specifying the ‘afraid of what?’ bit. It could be anything. Heights. Spiders. Exams. Heartbreak.
Raina Telgemeier writes about her fear of upsetting her stomach and throwing up, a fear that begins when she is a ten-year-old schoolgirl. It all stems from a nightmarish bout of food poisoning, during which both Raina and her mother spend the entire night puking their guts out.
After that, Raina starts to experience panic attacks and constant stomach upsets, making her wary of eating different kinds of food. She also starts worrying about catching an infection and falling sick. This cripples her daily life and interactions with friends, especially when she isn’t able to contain her spontaneous negative reactions to what somebody is eating.
I love how the first page is completely dialogue free, with the first panel showing a house under the moonlight, and the next introducing protagonist Raina as she sleeps with her teddy bear, but something seems to trouble her. She awakens in sweat, panic, fear, and heads to the bathroom.
As you can see, ‘Guts’ is adorably drawn, with big, bright panels depicting funny little moments from Raina’s life. Like the problems of having to share one bathroom with a family of five. Or suddenly looking at her best-friend with fear just because the friend rushed to the loo in the middle of class.
Luckily for ten-year-old Raina, her parents are empathetic and understanding. When they notice she frequently feels sick and wants to skip school, they arrange both a medical check-up and therapy to help her. Slowly, Raina learns to calm herself down in stressful situations and starts to deal with her panic attacks better.
The book also captures plenty of lighthearted school moments, including class presentations and the new friendships Raina forms as she learns to deal with her challenges. Since she loves to draw, art becomes both a comfort and a distraction for her. The joyful glimpses of her middle-school life also show how important comic books were during her childhood.
Even though ‘Guts’ is meant for middle-graders, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this cutely drawn graphic novel.
Rating for Guts: 5 on 5 stars.
Read Next: Mary Shelley Vs del Toro’s Frankenstein – 12 Differences (Audio Version Below)