Be That Way

By: Atiya Irvin-Mitchell

Being sixteen years old is only fun in the movies and no one knows that quite like main character Christine in the young adult book Be That Way. Author Hope Larson’s story is a hybrid of a graphic novel and a young adult novel where readers go on a journey set in 1996 following Christine as she grapples with grief, changing friendships, creative expression and various firsts in life. After Christine begins the new year with a fresh journal and a promise to herself to be “shiny” like her longtime but increasingly distant best friend, like many protagonists before we watch her learn that sometimes the grass isn’t greener on the other side.

Be That Way feels like the graphic novel love child of The Princess Diaries books and the film She’s All That. Although the story doesn’t include the bet, it does share similarities with the characters who need time to understand that surface-level “improvements” won’t necessarily make them happier, in addition to the universal themes of the importance of being oneself. Somehow the story balances being not a squeaky-clean Disney movie character without trying to mimic shows like “Euphoria.”

One of Larson’s strengths as a writer is that she resists the urge to make her main character perfect. As the readers travel through the pages, they’re presented with a character that is a good artist and attempting to be a good daughter and friend but falls short of that sometimes. She’s also flawed in developmentally appropriate ways. Whether she’s pining over the wrong boy, mourning her father or calling her peers judgmental names, Christine feels like the profoundly imperfect teenage girl that you are, were or might remember knowing.

In a world filled with teen dramas where characters struggle with substance issues and the occasional murder mystery, Christine’s problems are grounded in those that many adolescents struggle with. In some journal entries, her biggest issue is that she’s in denial about if her moody boyfriend has hidden depth or is just a run-of-the-mill jerk. One of the most compelling parts of the novel is the palpable grief that much of fiction has failed to explore: the realization that a friend you’ve known your entire life has become a stranger.

In between the complicated best friends, boyfriends and questionable hair choices, in Be That Way there are a good amount of 90s references that could be nostalgic for some readers or a gateway into unexplored pop culture for others. Furthermore, the artwork is beautiful and adds to the story without being overly distracting. Without spoiling the ending, by the end of the story, Christine has a few bruises and she’s learned some hard lessons, but like most teenagers she makes it out alive.