Anya's Ghost

Product Information

Alright cool. Anya is obsessively focused on her body weight and clearly has constant automatic negative thoughts about her appearance but we're just never gunna talk about it beyond how it relates to her crush. Cool. C o o l.

What worked- the author was sincere. The story was a genuine look at an American high school. It felt to me as if Daria’s World was a Russian immigrant and transplanted in the 21st century. So I did reminisce and got a few laughs, especially the gym class scene.

Production: What we know about Anya’s Ghost?

What Happened to the Mouse?: Sean and Elizabeth aren't seen again after the party and Dima isn't seen again after helping Anya research Emily's past. This is a sharp and critical look at the much lauded idea of a 'melting pot America' where fitting in really means discarding identity. Emily criticizes Anya for her cold shoulder towards Dima (and for Americanizing her name out of embarrassment), telling her a century ago immigrants bonded together to protect each other. Instead of throwing each other to the sharks, being supportive could lead to fitting in while still being proud of your heritage. The bullies, and the popular kids, Anya soon learns, aren't even people she truly wants to be like. ' Impressing a bunch of snooty teenagers is a pretty lame life goal to have.' Coming of Age Story: For Anya as she struggles to deal with highschool life and become a more mature person, with goals beyond impressing boys or looking cool. A girl who falls down a well and becomes a ghost. Sounds familiar. The reference is made pretty explicit when at the end, Emily claws her way up the well and crawls out of it, head slumped downwards. Overall, “Anya’s Ghost” is a fantastic book about dealing with peer pressure and the importance of being yourself no matter how different you are from other people. I would strongly recommend this book to any fan of young adult graphic novels and fans who love a good ghost story!

You’re no saint, Anya,' Emily tells her. She's definitely not a model student or a great friend, plus some moral issues, but Anya is believable and relatable. Also quite funny in her teenage too-cool-for-this-ness. She begins to realize her hostile and cool personality is a front for her inner-struggles and self-image issues. Which is where the book really works best. Having come to the United States as a young girl, she was initially bullied for her accent and Otherness, forcing her to adapt as a self-defense mechanism. On the other hand is the other Russian student at her school, Dima, who has no desire to adapt. Dima is constantly bullied and Anya looks the other way out of an attempt at self preservation. This is a disappointment to her mother--as is most of Anya's actions--as her and Dima's mother sent their children to the same school to look out for each other. Reality Has No Subtitles: Zigzagged. When Anya's mom makes syrniki pancakes, she refers to them as сы́рники, but later when she trips over Sasha's marbles and says, "Oy... bleen...my leg!" the word is fully spelled out in English. Everyone has problems. Even the person or couple you envy for being "perfect", could in reality have bigger issues than you have.Love Martyr: Elizabeth. She'll stand guard while Sean cheats on her with other boys' girlfriends because she wants him to love her. Anya's Ghost is a single-issue graphic novel by Vera Brosgol. It features Anya: an insecure, dowdy teenager, born of Russian immigrants, who finds herself struggling with the day-to-day trials of high school life, like her crush Sean and mouthy friend Siobhan. One day, she falls down an abandoned well and discovers the bones of a young girl who fell down there before her... As well as the ghost of said girl, still haunting the well she died in ninety years prior. The ghost, Emily, turns out to be pretty friendly, and the two eventually become good friends, as well as partners in crime. (Anya uses her invisible buddy to cheat on tests, keep watch while she's smoking and spy on classmates.) Of course, these sort of things rarely end well, and soon Emily proves more of a problem than a friend. This graphic style paired up with the one creepy scene/plot twist is the only reason I rated this as high as I did. Dying as Yourself: Well, dying again as yourself, but as Emily falls down the well again, her hair reverts from the long, modern style to the poofy, dandelion-like style she had when she first met Anya.