Do you participate in your library’s summer reading program? I always do, ever since I found out that the Arlington Public Library allows adults to sign up. I live in a major metropolitan area, where there are many library jurisdictions that allow reciprocal membership as long as you live in the area, and so I conveniently have several library memberships. This year, I decided to go the extra mile and participate in several summer reading programs. Yes, I am laughing at myself. Anyway, I spent a lot of time in libraries this summer, and during one visit I checked out and read Keezy Young's young adult fantasy graphic novel from 2017, Taproot: A Story About A Gardener and A Ghost.
Blue has been living as a ghost for a year when he meets Hamal, a beautiful and sweet gardener who has the ability to see and communicate with ghosts. Together, their friendship develops into something more, but being a ghost, Blue can never truly be connected with Hamal.
When Blue realizes Hamal’s strange ability may be putting him in danger, Blue has to find a way to protect him--even if it means leaving him.
Taproot is a sweet, gentle, and cozy story about a gardener, Hamal, who just so happens to be able to speak to ghosts. He also has a way with plants, and is hiding a secret: he’s in love with Blue, a ghost who will eventually have to leave (and who incidentally loves him back, but is trying to set him up with other people to ensure his happiness!). Hamal’s work in the greenhouse is the backdrop for many interactions to start the book, but the little town he lives in and its other landscapes form much of the rest. Hamal’s ghost friends are rendered in flat blue to signify their unreality, but the rest of the book is vibrantly layered, with amazing detail.
The highlights of this book are its lush, gorgeous artwork, and warm heart. There are queer characters here, but the point isn’t their queerness – Taproot is a story about forming real, lasting relationships (platonic and/or romantic), and adding good into the world, in whatever little ways are available to you. I found it a refreshing palate cleanser after a couple of books I wasn’t keen on, and then one that made me cry. Cozy comfort is not to be trifled with!
In all, Taproot is a delightfully cozy story that features light spooky elements, a sweet hint of queer romance, and marvelous illustrations.
Recommended for: fans of Kay O’Neill’s Tea Dragon Society series, Tillie Walden’s On A Sunbeam, and other earnest and cozy speculative stories (with great art!).
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