By Kaylie Seed
Content warning: homophobia/internalized homophobia
Jessica Campbell’s Rave is a graphic novel that follows soft-spoken Lauren in the early 2000s as she struggles to find her identity when her sexuality and faith are no longer on the same page. Lauren’s family are devoutly religious, to the point where they do not allow Lauren to bring home her textbook on evolution. When Lauren has to complete an assignment using that very textbook, she ends up at Mariah's house, a Wiccan who is unapologetically herself. Lauren and Mariah begin to have a secretive queer relationship that leaves Lauren swirling in Christian guilt and an internalized homophobia that leaves Lauren with an identity crisis.
Readers may find that this short graphic novel wasn’t fleshed out in the way they may have been hoping. The characters are quite one-dimensional with quite a few stereotypes and cliches present throughout. They lacked personality and uniqueness, and I felt like I had already read about these characters before. Campbell allows the illustrations to tell the story more than her writing, so readers will find that this is a quick read if they are not taking their time to analyze each illustration.
The ending is quite abrupt and ends with little questions being answered, leaving readers wondering if that truly was the end of the novel. The narrative felt rushed and underdeveloped, and maybe that was due to the illustrations telling the story more than the words. Rave would be a great read for those interested in coming-of-age stories and would appreciate a quick, to-the-point graphic novel.
Thank you, Drawn & Quarterly, for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.