A review by syntaxx
Hungry Ghost by Victoria Ying

3.0

Miigweetch NetGalley and First Second Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. I was drawn to this book because of the cover and title, but stayed for the description. This delicately illustrated graphic novel centers on high-schooler Valerie Chun and her disordered eating. Valerie strives to be obedient and a good daughter, however, her mother often exhibits abusive behavior towards Valerie and has a particularly toxic relationship with food. It is inferred that this is what has led to Valerie’s eating disorder. The book deals with disordered eating graphically and head-on, it is very real, and could potentially be triggering for those still in or recently in recovery. Later on, Valerie loses an important person in her life to a tragic accident, however, the resolution of her grief never is really dealt with, or if it is, it happens off page and the reader is not privy to it. This is a weakness of the storytelling that I would have liked to see fleshed out more as I think it could have been very impactful. This is a heavy book and while I enjoyed it, it’s unlikely I would read it again in the near future. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys graphic novels or manga that deals with mental health and dysfunctional family dynamics.