An Intergalactic Tale Populated by Women
A starry rectangle of outer space. A dark-haired girl, her face ambivalent. A fish-shaped spaceship flying toward a gothic tower. These are the first three panels of On a Sunbeam, Tillie Walden’s new graphic novel—the tale of a girl and her interplanetary journey.
Mia has joined a crew that travels through outer space, documenting and repairing old buildings. The narrative hops between the crew’s adventures and Mia’s memories of her time at an elite boarding school, where she fell for a girl named Grace. As with many dual narratives, part of the plot and mystery of the book is how the two story lines connect. Mia arrives on the spaceship alone, without Grace. Slowly, readers learn how they became separated and how they might be reunited.
Refreshingly, the setting is neither a utopia nor a dystopia.that section of the galaxywas made “illegal.” There are annoying bureaucrats and school bullies. But there are also magical forests, school proms, and first kisses. And it is a world in which two girls can fall for each other, and be teased for their geekiness, not their gender.
