Checked Out

Indie cartoonist Fricas’s endearing debut tracks the coming-of-age of Louise, a young queer artist juggling a library job, love, family, and publishing ambitions in New York City. The story opens with Louise working in a shoe store, where she indulges in occasional, unsatisfying trysts initiated by Wanda, her married coworker. Louise soon gets a coveted job as a library page, which brings her great delight (she describes the “redolence” of books as a “fine perfume”). Her insider access is especially helpful for researching her in-progress “epic graphic novel,” which focuses on a WWI carrier pigeon who delivers a crucial message that helps rescue a group of U.S. soldiers in a key battle. But personal drama interrupts her bookish bliss. While Louise pursues a budding romance with a trans chef, she learns a startling family secret from her mother. This serves as a catalyst for her to begin separating truth from illusion and gaining stability in her life. Fricas’s scribbly, naive-style drawings emphasize the awkwardness of her characters, lending a light touch to even the most emotionally fraught situations. Bibliophiles and indie comics fans will take this jagged yet joyful bildungsroman straight to heart. Agent: Mackenzie Brady Watson, Stuart Krichevsky Literary. (May)