The Gulf (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781774880739)

Staring down the final days of high school, a group of friends run away from home in order to join a commune in this YA graphic novel for ages 14 and up. Stand by Me meets Catcher in the Rye by way of Skim.

Ever since Oli found a pamphlet for a remote island commune as a kid, it's all she can think about. Now that she's nearing the end of high school, feeling frustrated with the mounting pressure to choose a career and follow a path she has no interest in, the desire to escape it all has been steadily increasing.

Everything comes to a head when Oli's relationship with her best friend goes south and she claps back at a school bully with more than just words. Oli flees to find the commune on a Gulf Island off the coast of Vancouver, taking with her Milo, who can't help but hide his feelings behind the safety of a video camera, and Alvin, a shy teen who sees more than he lets on. Behind them trails Liam, Oli's ex-best-friend and sometimes love interest, who wants to apologize for the way things went down. All four are grappling with a world that cannot be changed . . . and simply trying to find their place in it.

This YA anti-coming-of-age road trip adventure, by talented up-and-coming comic artist Adam de Souza, captures at once the angst and humor of being a teen during a time of great transition.

Author: Adam de Souza
ISBN-10: 1774880733
ISBN-13: 9781774880739
Publisher: Tundra Books (NY)
Language: English
Published: 03/05/2024
Pages: 240
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 2.60lbs
Size: 11.10h x 8.74w x 1.02d

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 12/11/2023
Booklist 02/01/2024 pg. 45
Kirkus Reviews 02/01/2024
School Library Journal 03/01/2024 pg. 94