The Unsound

This was a genuinely surprising and suspenseful graphic novel that explores questions ideas of reality, sanity, and the legacy of trauma. But, for all the darkness of those themes, the novel still reads like a good ghost story. And it’s told with the same visual skill and suspense of a horror movie. It tells the story of Betty, beginning her first day of work as a nurse at a mental institution. There, she quickly discovers something amiss and finds herself relying on a patient who talks through a paper plate (no joke) for help and guidance on a journey weirder than talking paper plates.

I loved the visual cunning and intrigue of this graphic novel, and the story astutely explores the blurred lines of sanity and morality. The story ends on a cliffhanger that suggests there will be more—and I sincerely hope there will be.