For teens navigating isolation, cultural identity, and mental health challenges, this graphic novel offers a vulnerable, honest journey of self-discovery and resilience.
A parent might reach for this book when their teen feels caught between cultures, deeply lonely, or is struggling with anxiety and depression that's hard to talk about. This graphic memoir follows the author's own high school experience as a Korean immigrant in America. She navigates her parents' high expectations, her mother's severe depression, and her own feelings of being an outsider, finding an outlet and a path forward through her art. It's a raw and honest look at mental health and identity, ideal for older teens (14+). This book provides powerful representation and can be a crucial tool for starting conversations about difficult emotions and the need for support.
The book deals directly and frankly with mental illness (depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and self-harm). It also portrays racism through microaggressions. The perspective is secular. The resolution is not a simple fix, but a realistic and hopeful one, where the protagonist learns to understand herself, advocate for her needs, and find strength in her art and friendships.
Ideal Reader
A teen, 14 or older, who feels like an outsider, particularly a first or second generation immigrant navigating dual cultures. It will deeply resonate with young artists who use their craft to process the world, and any teen struggling with anxiety, depression, or feeling misunderstood by their family.
Parent Prep
Parents should preview this book. Specific scenes depicting the mother's depressive episodes, self-harm, and suicidal ideation are intense. Reading it first allows a parent to prepare for a supportive conversation about these topics and to provide context about seeking help for mental health challenges. A parent notices their teen has become withdrawn, expresses feelings of not belonging anywhere, or says things like "You just don't get it." The parent might be worried about their child's mental health but is unsure how to begin a conversation, especially if there are cultural stigmas around the topic.
Age Experience
A younger teen (14-15) may connect most with the themes of high school loneliness, making friends, and trying to fit in. An older teen (16-18) is more likely to grasp the nuanced exploration of intergenerational trauma, the pressures of the model minority myth, and the complex journey of forging an identity separate from parental expectations.
What Makes It Special
Its uniqueness lies in its starkly honest, first-person portrayal of depression within a Korean American family. The black, white, and gray art style, punctuated by a single, symbolic use of yellow, is incredibly effective at conveying the protagonist's internal emotional landscape. It's less a story and more a visceral, visual experience of what it feels like to be 'in limbo.'
Read plot summary
A memoir detailing the author's adolescent years after immigrating from South Korea to the United States. The narrative focuses on her intense social isolation at a new high school, the academic pressure from her parents, her complex relationship with her mother who is battling severe depression, and her own struggles with anxiety and finding her identity as a Korean American artist.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.
Discussion Prompts
1
The title is 'In Limbo.' Besides the physical setting of her high school, in what other ways does Deb feel like she is 'in limbo' throughout the book?
2
Deb uses yellow to highlight certain objects and feelings in her black and white world. What do you think the color yellow represents at different points in the story?
3
Deb's relationship with her mother is very complicated. How did you feel about her mother's actions and her own struggles? Did your opinion of her change by the end?
4
Art is Deb's lifeline. How does her relationship with her art change from the beginning of the book to the end?
