One of my favorite moments when engaging in a work of art is that rare turn when I feel like I've really been taken to some time and place outside of my experience. Because of Marguerite Abouet's exquisite writing, I now can honestly say that I know what it was to be a teenage girl in the urban environment of 1970's Ivory Coast. Sure, all the basics are there - boys, parties, fights with girlfriends, sneaking out on dad - but I really felt the vibe of the town Aya lives in, sometimes even the smells. It's a simple teenage drama, beautifully told, lending the idiosyncrasies of this place in the author's memory. Humorous and sometimes quite jolting, Marguerite's storytelling is graced by the warm and evocative illustrations of her husband/collaborator, Clement Oubrerie.
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