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Teer, Samuel

Brownstone

320 pp. | HarperCollins/Versify | June, 2024 | Trade ISBN 9780358394754 $26.99 | Paper ISBN 9780358394747 $18.99 | Ebook ISBN 9780358393764 $12.99
(2) YA Illustrated by Mar Julia. Color by Ashanti Forston. In this empathetic coming-of-age graphic novel, nearly-fifteen-year-old Almudena reluctantly spends the summer of 1995 with Xavier, her Guatemalan father whom she's never met, so that her (non-Latine) mother can accept a dream job in Europe. June starts off unpleasantly -- Almudena's stereotypical view of Latine culture alienates her Guatemalan neighbors, and her unfamiliarity with Spanish causes frustratingly stilted communication with Xavier as they spend their days renovating his rundown brownstone. But as the summer months pass, Almudena makes genuine efforts to embrace the heritage she's never known -- from chile relleno to her own quiñceanera -- and build relationships with the brownstone's prospective new tenants as they share their challenges surrounding gentrification, racism, and homophobia. Father and daughter gradually improve in their communication, culminating in bittersweet yet hopeful revelations surrounding his absence from her life and in her reassessing what she considers to be a "perfect family." The earth-toned illustrations warmly depict Xavier's metropolitan neighborhood and are full of affectionate detail, from refinement of the brownstone throughout its restoration to Almudena's resemblances to both parents. Spanish dialogue is either untranslated, paraphrased into English, or represented through Almudena's observations ("rapid-fire Spanish-sounding stuff"). Teer shows his characters' shortcomings without framing anyone as an antagonist and omits most period-specific references in favor of concentrating on timeless emotions related to overcoming cultural imposter syndrome.
Reviewer: Ed Spicer | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

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