I found La Perdida in the "teen" section of the library, which surprised me. While the protagonist of the story, Carla, is a young woman, the themes in this book are decidedly adult. Race, class, insider vs. outsider, political theory, sexism, it's all in there. Along with drugs, sex, and a kidnapping gone bad.

It starts out ordinarily enough; Carla is a biracial young woman, with a white mother and an absent Mexican father. After a botched attempt at college she heads down to Mexico to find her roots and travel around a bit. She interested in how it is to live as a Mexican in Mexico, and at first sets up "house" with a rich, ex-boyfriend expat. She soon tires of living as an outsider, a tourist, and settles in with her Mexican friends. Her three week trip soon becomes months, as she deals with her own personal identity, how she fits into Mexican life, and learns about the culture and herself. Carla isn't always a likable character, which is quite a feat when telling a story. She's definitely a flawed woman, but Abel's honesty about that, the way she reveals her faults and reconciles them with the story are great. Even though you don't necessarily always like her, you do feel for her and are interested in her story.

Art-wise, the book is drawn beautifully. Abel shifts from a more relaxed style to a more formal, detailed style at times, according to the story. At times the dialogue is at the forefront, other times the art, the feeling, is more important. The drawings of Mexico city are lush and lovely, and are an integral part of the story. You have a better understanding of why Carla is there, why she stays, why she gets into the trouble she does. It's a great book, interesting on a lot of different levels. ( )

Abel's sparsely drawn images of Mexico City landmarks are as engaging as her colorful characters. It presents a point of view that is both unique and relatable to many teen girls. Readers who enjoy La Perdida should check out some of Abel's other graphic novels.

notable graphic novel about a mexican-american 20-something looking for the authentic life in mexico city. ( )

This is a beautiful, well-executed graphic novel. The way the dialog moves from English to spanglish to "spanish" is well-thought out, and the drawings can make you feel like you're there. The main character is a well-meaning naif who moves to Mexico City and gets in over her head. The situations and characters feel very real, particularly the main character. I avoid people like her in real life, so it is a powerful testament to the high quality of Abel's work that I found it hard to finish the book because the protagonist was so realistic I didn't want to spend time watching her get more than she bargained for in Fictionland. ( )

Jessica Abel’s sizeable fictional travelogue La Perdida is the annotated postcard of the protagonist Carla’s visit to Mexico to find herself. As she navigates relationships and challenges, from disagreements with her wealthy ex-boyfriend expatriate, Harry to the difficulties of learning an unfamiliar culture, she also journeys through delusion, self-discovery and accountability.

While Carla is not always likeable, Abel’s skillfully expressive bold-line drawings and revealing dialogue keep the reader engaged, cursing Carla’s drunken temper, cringing at her embarrassment, and holding breath when she gets into trouble. Carla’s naiveté is sometimes beyond belief. Her choice of friends and lovers who take her for granted and her inability to suss out the violent and dangerous nature of some characters is frustrating, but they suit her deep self-doubt, fear of being an outsider, and desire to encounter her illusory conception of authentic Mexico.

La Perdida is notable for its commitment to honesty. Abel writes the first chapter in Spanish with subtitles, then shifts to all-English dialogue, mimicking Carla’s transition from monolingual tourist to functionally bilingual expat. Abel includes a glossary of Mexican slang, organizations and landmarks. Details in her drawings illustrate Mexico City’s ambience. Nearly every character demonstrates a level of depth, complete with both charming and unpleasant traits. Characters, like the despicable Memo and unlikable Harry, raise political issues like communism, capitalism, globalization, class and the cultural effects of tourism. While these debates, like many real-life discussions, rarely transcend the realm of beer-induced arguments, they function as invaluable character exposition. Abel realistically and expertly depicts her protagonist as a real, fallible person struggling through the excitement and loneliness of mapping the unfamiliar territory of herself. ( )