Rapid Review: This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki

This One Summer

by Mariko Tamaki, Jillian Tamaki

Finished reading: 12/1/21

My rating: 4.5/5 stars

This One Summer is a graphic novel that follows two pre-teen girls Rose and Windy whose families both stay in their lake houses in Awago Beach every summer. This summer feels different to the ones before and it seems difficult for the two girls to go back to how things were.

This book was an interesting one indeed. I had read mixed reviews going into it but decided it to give it a go mostly for the artwork. The illustrations in this book have to be one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever laid my eyes on. Every page is this gorgeous wash of inky purple/indigo. Every single drawing is so intricately detailed and has a wonderful control of lighting and texture. The panels are also arranged in such a varied and interesting way throughout, with some taking up an entire double page and others only a tiny little square. Every page looked undeniably beautiful to look at and I wanted to take in every single frame for a few extra breaths. I would love to somehow make a wallpaper of these pages because it is so so stunning!

The story is incredibly quiet and understated. I can see why it isn’t to everyone’s taste, but I personally loved it. I think the depth in this book is definitely what is left unsaid as opposed to what is said. When you observe a little further below the surface you discover this overwhelming sense of loss. Loss of identity, loss of time, loss of place in the world. I love it when a plot can take you on a simple journey but transform you to another plane entirely, without explicitly prompting you to do this. I can’t quite put into words my experience of being a pre-teen girl, but next time someone asks me, I shall direct them towards this book as it sums it up better than I will ever be able to.

The whole story felt very awkward and uncomfortable and I think this just perfectly captured what it is to be a young girl between the ages of about 10 and 12. There always seems to be this awkward age when you are too old to be a child and too young to be a teenager. Most of us probably cringe and desperately attempt to remove this time from our memory. I think this is reflected in popular culture too. We are given stories of young, cute innocent children and stories of angsty, emotional teenagers. But we are rarely presented with the in between which is, arguably, the most challenging age of all.

In this story, we are presented with probably the two most popular coping mechanisms of getting through this awkward time. Firstly, Rose, who wants to be older than she is. She is physically disgusted by the idea that someone could mistake her as being a child and is fed up of being treated as one by her parents. Instead, she retaliates, determined to watch horror movies, immerse herself in teenage drama and customs and spend time alone. Secondly, Windy, who desperately just wants to cling to childhood. She is resistant to things changing and not at all interested in doing what Rose wants to do. Except, Windy doesn’t want Rose to know she doesn’t want to do these things in fear of losing Rose. So Windy follows Rose’s lead, she is terrified by the horror movies but watches them anyway.

This book is such a beautiful commentary on what it is to be a pre-teen girl. I saw myself at this age in both these girls. It was almost difficult to read because it felt so uncomfortable at times, but the illustrations contrasted this with such a calming beauty. Perhaps this is supposed to represent what Awago Beach is for Rose and Windy, a reminder of simpler times and an escape from school and everyday life. Except this year, it seems impossible for them to escape it. The place hasn’t changed, but they have, and so have their families. The whole book felt like a funeral for childhood and a transition into another life entirely. This is captured so wonderful at the end of the book when the two girls contemplate next summer. You can almost feel the sense of sadness and fear, as if neither of them know who they will be in a year’s time, but the knowledge that Awago Beach will stay waiting for them, unchanged.

Overall, this book was beautiful, both visually and symbolically. To anyone who was ever been a pre-teen girl, read this book. I hope you can read it and feel understood.