Because I have really wanted to read the graphic novel Rebis: Born and Reborn by Irene Marchesini and Carla Roncalli Di Montorio for a year now, I think I had too high hopes for it. The concept was good, but there was some execution of the final results for me. It was an interesting look at the concept of a woman’s place and how she is shunned, blamed, and used as the scapegoat when she does not “obey” the rules. This flows into how a child who looks different (born with albinoism) is also targeted by the same fear of the concept of “other.” A few bumps in the story’s flow and some missing information happened for me, but overall it is a decent read.
There are some LGBTQ elements (same sex lovers; a transgendered child) and feminist elements. There is the hierarchy of family and village the women and Rebis have been shunned from. One of the largest plot point holes for me is if the child who becomes Rebis has always wanted to become female, or if the forest claims them because of their spiritual connection to nature and the women whom they find as their new family.
There are sevearl elements that are content arning, such as body shaming, bullying, emotional abuse, hate crime, misogyny, violence, grief, suicide attempt, lesbophobia, fire (without injury), minor animal death and toxic relationships. Much of what is there is mild, tastefully done, but could be a lot for the sensitive reader. The fire is perhaps the worst, but still no injuries occur. It is just intense. There are also a few places where while it is not supernatural or paranormal in an evil sense, it too is intense. The ages vary due to your readers comfort. I see at least ages 10 and up able to do it, but probably ages 12 or 13 and up would be best. Of course, it is also good for adults and I do recommend reading before giving to a child because if you’re not comfortable, they might not either.
