The Deep Dark
by Molly Knox Ostertag; illus. by the author
High School    Graphix/Scholastic    480 pp.
6/24    9781338840001    $27.99
Paper ed.  9781338839999    $16.99

Desert and rural landscapes from the U.S. Southwest serve as the backdrop to the coming-of-age stories of two childhood friends. High school senior Magdalena “Mags” Herrera, who lives with her abuela, is in a secret relationship with a girl at school. Mags is afflicted by grief, guilt, and uncertainty for a variety of reasons, and when her childhood friend Nessa, who is trans, comes back to their small town, it stirs up a rollercoaster of emotions. As the two friends spend time together, they uncover repressed memories, including a friend’s death. A mysterious creature that lives in Mags and Abuela’s basement brings mythical elements to the narrative and connects to family and personal secrets. The illustrations in this graphic novel effectively shift between black-and-white for the present story and color to represent childhood memories. Although Mags’s heritage isn’t specifically named, the incorporation of Spanish language (with occasional errors and, at times, an overly formal tone), settings, names, and motifs indicates a Latinx Catholic household. Strengths of the novel include the fully fleshed-out queer characters as well as the depiction of their internal and external battles as Mags and Nessa release their respective hurts and discover their real selves. An author’s note, with images, reflects on Ostertag’s process.

From the July/August 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.