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The Novel Hermit

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FROM PANEL TO PANEL • Lonely Hearts (Crushing by Sophie Burrows)

January 17, 2022 Leave a Comment

Crushing by Sophie Burrows • January 11, 2022 • Algonquin Young Readers

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She’s lonely and searching for connection. He’s lonely and afraid to reach out. Life in the big city means being surrounded by connections—making them, missing them, and longing for them. But is finding someone else really the answer to their problems? Crushing, the stunning debut graphic novel from Sophie Burrows, is a story told in silence; a story without words but bursting with meaning; a story about loneliness and love. Achingly beautiful, quietly defiant, and full of subtle wit and wisdom, Crushing is a unique meditation on the human condition in the twenty-first century, and a timely examination of young adult life in an age of isolation.

myreview

I received this graphic novel for free from Algonquin Young Readers for review consideration. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

If I had to describe Crushing in a sentence, I would say—it’s beautiful, but too goddamn real with its portrayal of loneliness.

In this day and age with the Covid-19 pandemic forcing people to distance and isolate themselves, people are yearning for human connection. And in Crushing, two nameless characters are searching for that lost connection in the people they interact with and in the crowds they’re in. 

Sophie Burrows does a beautiful job illustrating the two character’s loneliness and their yearning to have human connection with others. No words are needed in this graphic novel; it’s completely silent and quiet, but it packs quite a punch with the emotions brimming from the art. The drawings are so well-done, especially the symbolism of using red to emphasize that connection people want and are missing and the parallels between the two characters in facing pages.

Crushing evokes this heavy feeling of loneliness (and also hope) into the drawings. The emotions can be overwhelming, and that’s what I love about it—that it sets this set of relatable and powerful feelings on your shoulders like you’re in these characters’ shoes.

Everybody has experience what these characters feel—feeling alone in a sea of people or feelings like you’re on the outskirts looking in at all the people who have partners or children and wanting what they have. We don’t realize how important it is to have any type of interaction with people—may it be just a nod or small talk about world happenings. It’s important for our mental health. That’s what Crushing beautifully pulls off. Not wanting to be alone is a universal feeling. 

Who should read Crushing? Everybody looking for human connection in a world we’re isolated in. 

Should you read Crushing? Absolutely.

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MUSIC TO MY (Y)EAR • 2021
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HOLY, MOTHER COVER! • HC vs PB Cover Changes: Frankly in Love by David Yoon

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About Me


I’m Cee. Lover of books + comics. Bookseller. Former teen witch.

The Novel Hermit is written by a daydreamer who loves books and want to share her love with everybody. You will find YA, comics, reviews, discussions, book cover love, and lots of adoration for books. What more can you ask for?

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All of the books I review either have been purchased by me, borrowed from the library, and sent to me by the publisher (the latter of which I will note).

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