Review: Taproot by Keezy Young

 

Taproot by Keezy Young
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a book that never would have been on my radar if I hadn't joined a virtual Graphic Novel book club. And now I'm doubly glad that I had because this book was phenomenal.

Hamal is a young man that can talk to ghosts. Several young ghosts hang around him, including Blue, who seems to be Hamal's best friend. The owner of the flower shop that Hamal works at just thinks he's a bit weird, since no one else can see the ghosts. But that's ok, because Hamal is a miracle worker when it comes to growing things. But things aren't quite what they seem as the ghosts, including Blue, seem to disappear into a freaky wood every once in awhile.

There are so many things I love about this book. The art style reminds me very much of Rebecca Sugar's Steven Universe. The colors are more muted, more pastel. There are several panels where the art of the world is more the focus than the people (and ghosts) which really helps give a feel for the world. I love the bits of mystery, as well as the relationship between Hamal and Blue. It's a sweet story of what could have been in a different time... or maybe what can be now.

I also love how Hamal is accepting of his abilities. He isn't perfect with them - he hasn't figured out how to talk to the ghosts without looking like he's always talking to himself. And Blue does mention that it took a little while to come to terms with it. I also appreciated that Young didn't have everything between Hamal and Blue be perfect. A big moment in the book is an argument between the pair that pushes them apart for a little while - more for stubbornness than anything else.

That's not to say that I think the book is perfect. Ideally, I would have loved to see more of Hamal coming to terms with his abilities in a flashback. See how that affected his budding friendship with Blue. I also would have loved to see a bit more fleshing out of the other ghosts. They were very much secondary creatures but they were fleshed out just enough that I wanted to know more. But I also recognize that both those quibbles would have made the book longer and may have bogged things down. I would love to see more written in this world.

Overall, I highly recommend this quick read. Especially if you enjoy reading a good combination of LGBTQ+ romance and the supernatural. I'm looking forward to rereading it and to talking about it with the book club.

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