Roaming
Written by Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by Jillian Tamaki
September 12, 2023
444 pp.
ISBN: 978-1770464339
Roaming is a graphic novel written by Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by Jillian Tamaki. The cousins previously gave us the bestsellers Skim and This One Summer. Similar to these two graphic novels, Roaming is also a slice of life story with themes of friendship, sexuality, and growing up. In this collaboration, we are taken to New York City in 2009 as long-time Canadian friends of East Asian heritage, Zoe and Dani, reunite during Spring Break. Their first year of university in different Canadian cities has already had its ups and downs and the two have much to catch up on while exploring the “Big Apple.” This plan on catching up is quickly disrupted as Dani brings her new friend, Fiona, to join them.
Dani’s white classmate, Fiona, is carefree and ready to experience the city beyond the tourist checklist Dani has planned for the three of them. Through the three characters, the Tamakis depict the messiness, chaos, and beauty that comes with being new adults. Zoe, who has been on her own path to discovering her identity and sexuality, is drawn to Fiona’s self-assured and cool personality but is doubtful that she, too, can embody these qualities.
Roaming recalls a time when smart phones and social media were not yet ubiquitous. Sending a text message incurs “roaming” charges when traveling. The novel thoughtfully captures the tension between how it feels to be young, free, and independent, while simultaneously burdened with expectations, pressures, and responsibilities from the outside world. Playing with this dichotomy, the Tamakis give us a glimpse of queer romance at a transitional stage in life when anything seems possible, but our actions still have far reaching consequences.
The beautiful illustrations complement the tone of the story. The grittiness of the metropolis backdrop of New York City is softened with light pastel colors–we feel as though we are observing the city through rose-tinted glasses or in a dreamy state. Hitting us with nostalgia, Roaming cleverly takes the reader back in time to revisit the feeling of being a newly formed adult ready to take on the world.
Review by Hannah Tanna, editing assistance by Molly Higgins.
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