Wake Up, Pixoto!

In this probing memoir, Pixin (Let’s Not Talk Anymore) recalls her days as an impressionable young art student falling under the insidious sway of a charismatic instructor. Opening the narrative in the present day, Pixin meets with old classmates to discuss their art school days. Most of the characters are drawn like anthropomorphic animals—Pixin’s a rabbit, others are birds. They commiserate about a particularly problematic instructor, TL, who’s drawn like a short stack of red blobs. Pixin initially found him supportive; he paid more attention to his students than other teachers, with a “non-judgmental vibe” that “gave us permission to be vulnerable.” But she was still discovering who she was as an artist and uneasily navigating relationships with boyfriends and her parents. In that vulnerability, she slowly lost her confidence as TL ranted about pandering artists who “use their butts & poop for art” and encouraged her to withdraw from others and remain loyal only to his small circle. As Pixin laments, “Little did I know, I was slowly giving up bits of myself.” Eventually TL’s advances become too glaring to ignore, and she cuts him off. Pixin’s cheerful colors and childlike style aptly capture the naivete of her characters and lend whimsy to the dark subject matter. Readers will find this cautionary tale about the creep of cultlike behavior tough to shake. (July)