Book Club
By Hana Zittel
Published Issue 134, February 2025
Stone Fruit by Lee Lai (2021)
Celebrated as the 2022 American Library Association Stonewall Award Honor Book and a 2022 Lambda Literary Award Finalist, Lee Lai’s graphic novel, Stone Fruit, explores the deep emotional bonds of chosen family and the complex pull of blood relatives.
Ray and her partner Bron watch Ray’s niece, Nessie, twice a week. Together, they embark on imaginative adventures and get dirty exploring the outdoor world. A single mother, Ray’s sister accepts the help, but isn’t sure how she feels about her daughter spending so much time with Bron, who Ray has mentioned struggles with her mental health. When the resentment boils over between Nessie’s mom and her aunties, the conflict drives Bron to leave the relationship and return home to her religious and disapproving family.
Told through blue-toned watercolor drawings, Lai’s illustrations help to emphasize the swirling relationships in Stone Fruit, heightening the emotion and connection with each character. Each waging their own internal battles, Lai’s character development is captivating and consuming, driving home the difficult choices made when the bonds in a relationship wane. Honest and heartfelt, Stone Fruit is a beautifully written and drawn journey through family, intimacy and self-discovery.
Ocultos by Laura Pérez,
Translated by Andrea Rosenberg (2024)
A tiny shift of an item in your home, not made by anyone who lives there. A dream with a warning that feels so real you have to comply. Mysterious lights floating in the night sky with no logical explanation.
In Laura Pérez’s newest graphic novel translated to English, she explores the phenomena that are just beyond the veil, the otherworldly, and the messages that may be delivered to us from the other side. Eerie and beautifully drawn, Pérez sometimes only uses sparse drawings to convey storylines, highlighting her ability to create whole words with only images. Each story in this collection leaves the lingering feeling that something lurks behind you, around you, or darkly within.
Pérez’s additional illustration work was celebrated with an Emmy nomination in 2022 for her opening animations on the show, Only Murders in the Building. A perceptive and insightful storyteller and artist, Ocultos truly captures her unique abilities and was recognized by the New York Public Library as one of their best comics of the year in 2024.
Hana Zittel is a librarian at the Denver Public Library in addition to being a librarian at the Denver Zine Librarian. She grew up in Steamboat Springs, Colorado and pretty much just likes being outside with her pup when she has some free time, and reading, that might have been assumed though.
Check out Hana’s January Book Club in case you missed it, or head to our Explore section to see more of her past reviews.