HOMEBODY by THEO PARISH
A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN
Knowing who we are isn’t always easy…until it is. This is the thesis statement of YA graphic memoir, Homebody by Theo Parish. Told from the perspective of a high school and college-aged Theo, Homebody is a story about discovering who you are, who you want to be, and how you can get there. Theo, growing up in the UK to very accepting parents, struggles to f![Homebody [Book]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71SULcVCy8L.jpg)
igure out their gender identity in spite of all the pressure to present one way while feeling another. In this gentle, purple-hued story, Theo muses about identity and self-acceptance. There isn’t exactly a strong plot here, but that hardly matters in memoir. This is a book about feelings, and Parish certainly knows how to write about them.
As mentioned before, Homebody is beautifully rendered in shades of purple and white. There are no other colors, and the effect is a calming one, like lavender. The art is round and soft, slightly cartoonish without being distracting. The curved linework adds to the calming feeling of the graphic novel and invites readers in to Parish’s introspective writing. While the narrative may not be the strongest, its messaging is still extremely important. Everyone deserves to feel loved and seen for who they truly are–and everyone can coexist peacefully because of it. Teens struggling with their gender identity will find honesty and kindness in this book, which proves that a little empathy goes a long way.