Anya's Ghost (2011)

For lonely teenager Anya, a friend seems like a start to fixing her problems. When she falls down a well and meets the ghost of a girl who lived long before, she thinks she may have actually found a friend–albeit a weird one. But this new ghost seems intent on sticking around, and as she tries to control more and more of what Anya does, Anya begins to question her choices.

Vera Brosgol’s very creepy, fast-paced graphic novel is an absolute page-turner. Readers will be quickly sucked into Anya’s world. As Anya tries to escape the past–both her own Russian-immigrant background as well as her new ghost friend’s presence–readers will be breathless in anticipation of what will happen next. Brosgol’s writing is sparse, smart, and frequently very funny. Everything about this one works nearly perfectly.

Beautifully rendered, Brosgol’s simple, clean panels create a modern feel using mainly black and white (with a dash of purple thrown in, too). Instead of trying to cram a great deal of action into each panel, Brosgol chooses instead to simply create more panels, making the entire story unfold in a way that is easy to follow. The grayish tint to some of the drawing helps illustrate the moody feel that permeates much of the novel. It’s eerie, and the drawings only help increase the uneasiness readers are supposed to feel about Anya’s new friend.

Tight storytelling makes this novel whip by. It won’t be hard for most readers to finish this in a single sitting, and Anya’s relatable, often self-deprecating voice will be something that resonates with most people. This graphic novel is definitely for the older teen set, but it’s unbelievably satisfying and very clever.

Highly, highly recommended.

Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol. First Second: 2011. Library copy.
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The ending was a bit anticlimactic and the all around story could use some beefing up but the art and style are very similar to Hope Larson's and I enjoy her stuff too. ( )

Anya falls into an abandoned well one day and finds herself alone with a skeleton. Needless to say, she is terrified. Especially after the ghost of a girl about her own age shows up. Anya is rescued fairly quickly and tries to put the whole experience behind her. But she's brought something back out into the daylight with her--the ghost. And Emily has no intention of going back into the darkness.

I was okay in high school. I really was. I had a group of awesome friends and we had a good time just doing our band geek thing. Still. I wouldn't want to be a teenager again. So books that bring those years so painfully to life just don't do much for me. And Anya's teenage years are painful to see.

She's a second-generation Russian (I'm 99% sure) immigrant. She's so ashamed of it. She hates being around her family and seeing the ways that they're different from other families. She hates being around a boy her age who has only recently left Russia and so has a heavy accent. She's ashamed of the food they eat and the clothes she wears and even her sturdy Russian body. She's got issues.

But Emily helps her to see exactly how ridiculous those feelings are. And not at all in the way that I expected. Emily just got freakier and freakier until she was downright scary by the end! She shows Anya exactly where her attitude could lead her and it is a dark, lonely, and psychotic place.

I truly liked the artwork and I wish I had liked the story more than I did. It's just that teen angst thing. If you are more forgiving of it than I am, pick this up. It is a creepy little book that will leave you thinking. ( )

Great story and great art! ( )

Not exactly what I expected, but pretty good. Also, I adored the pro-library message that was embedded in the story. ( )