Rave

It's the early 2000s. Lauren is 15, soft-spoken, and ashamed of her body. She's a devout member of an evangelical church, but when her Bible-thumping parents forbid Lauren to bring evolution textbooks home, she opts to study at her schoolmate Mariah's house. Mariah has dial-up internet, an absentee mom, and a Wiccan altar — the perfect setting for a study session and sleepover to remember. That evening, Mariah gives Lauren a makeover and the two melt into each other, in what becomes Lauren's first queer encounter. Afterward, a potent blend of Christian guilt and internalized homophobia causes Lauren to question the experience.

Author Jessica Campbell (XTC69) uses frankness and dark humour to articulate Lauren's burgeoning crisis of faith and sexuality. She captures teenage antics and banter with astute comedic style, simultaneously skewering bullies, a culture of slut-shaming, and the devastating impact of religious zealotry. Rave is an instant classic, a coming-of-age story about the secret spaces young women create and the wider social structures that fail them. (From Drawn & Quarterly)

• 15 Canadian comics we can't wait to read in spring 2022
• 27 Canadian books coming out in April we can't wait to read
• Jessica Campbell explores a constrained girlhood in religion in her graphic novel, Rave

Jessica Campbell is a fine artist, originally from Victoria, whose work has been exhibited across the U.S. and Canada. Her previous books include Hot or Not: 20th Century Male Artists and XTC69.

Other books by Jessica Campbell

Interviews with Jessica Campbell

Q14:39Jessica Campbell's new graphic novel is an 'autobifictionalography' inspired by her crisis of faith

Jessica Campbell is a graphic novelist from B.C., who grew up in a strict religious community. But as she got older, she started to question her faith. Her latest book, Rave, is loosely inspired by her journey of figuring out who she is and what she believes in. Campbell joined Tom Power to tell us more.