Our Graphic Novel Preview series invites readers to look inside graphic novels. This month, we’re highlighting a nonfiction young adult graphic novel, Visitations by Corey Egbert, on sale November 19th!
Inspired by true events, this haunting yet hopeful young adult graphic novel weaves together family dynamics, mental illness, and religion—perfect for fans of Hey, Kiddo.
Corey’s mom has always made him feel safe. Especially after his parents’ divorce, and the dreaded visitations with his dad begin. But as Corey grows older, he can’t ignore his mother’s increasingly wild accusations. Her insistence that God has appointed Corey as his sister’s protector. Her declaration that Corey’s father is the devil.
Soon, she whisks Corey and his sister away from their home and into the boiling Nevada desert. There, they struggle to survive with little food and the police on the trail. Meanwhile, under the night sky, Corey is visited by a flickering ghost, a girl who urges him to fight for a different world—one outside of his mother’s spoon-fed tales, one Corey must find before it’s too late.
Drawing inspiration from his own upbringing in the Mormon church, Corey Egbert welcomes readers on an emotionally stirring, nuanced journey into the liminal spaces between imagination and memory, faith and truth.
Praise for Visitations
★ “The emotional truth of this narrative rings out on every page. The artwork enhances readers’ understanding of Corey’s confusion about religion, sexuality, family dynamics, and his own memories, drawing the audience toward sympathy and understanding . . . Nuanced and real; impressive and valuable.” —Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
★ “[A] searing graphic novel memoir . . . Via intimate narration, the creator chronicles the true story of his parents’ divorce and his mother’s struggles with her mental health, as well as religion’s role in his compliance with her actions. A nonlinear timeline layered with lightly mystical elements rendered in muted pastels conveys a compelling emotional journey through a formative traumatic experience.” —Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“Visitations is a skillfully drawn and heartfelt reminder that stories are every bit as complicated as the people who tell them.” —Ethan M. Aldridge, New York Times-bestselling creator of Estranged
