Review - Sincerely, Harriet

Sincerely, Harriet
by Sarah Winifred Searle
Date: 2019
Publisher: Graphic Universe (Tm)
Reading level: MG
Book type: graphic novel
Pages: 176
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

Harriet Flores struggles with boredom and an unrequited crush while learning to manage her chronic illness through a long, hot, 1990s summer in Chicago. She uses her imagination to cope, which sometimes gets her into trouble, as she makes up fantastical fibs and wonders if there are ghosts upstairs. One neighbor, Pearl, encourages Harriet to read and write, leading Harriet to have a breakthrough and discover the power of storytelling.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

If this book had actually been about what the synopsis said it was about, I might've liked it more. Unfortunately, the chronic illness angle was overshadowed by the rather glaring personality disorder of the main character that was never addressed.

To begin with, I'm confused as to why the author chose to use such an obscure disease for her protagonist. So that we could have something dramatic like a brain biopsy? I don't know. The average person in the US has a 0.1% chance of developing MS. Only 2-5% of those show symptoms before age 18. So the chance of Harriet having MS is super small to begin with... especially given that she's of Hispanic origin (MS is most common in Northern Europeans). Of all the chronic illnesses that kids can suffer from, why pick one so obscure that only an infinitesimal number of readers will be able to directly relate to the condition?

The problem with focusing on the MS, though, is that it overshadows what was really messing with Harriet's life: her lying and near obsession with two girls she met at camp. She basically stalks them from afar and doesn't seem to realize that her behaviour isn't normal or appropriate. (I almost wondered if she was on the autism spectrum, since she didn't seem to "get" people very well and didn't have any friends her own age because kids thought she was "weird".) She makes up hurtful stories about the people around her (the mailman is evil, the landlady is a murderer, etc.) for no reason that I could see. I think the author was trying to show that she was creative, but she came across more mentally ill than anything. Addressing these problems would've been far more interesting than forcing the parallels between Harriet's MS and the landlady's son's polio, especially since we never get to meet said son.

I don't know what the unrequited-crush business that was mentioned in the synopsis was all about. Was it the celebrity heartthrob she read about? One of the girls she stalked after camp? Or her landlady's grown son? I couldn't really tell. It wasn't important to the plot, in any case.

The pictures are simple and clear, but I didn't really like them. The story's supposed to take place in the 1990s, which makes Harriet around my age (or at least in my generation). I can tell you that we did not wear our nighties out and about like clothing. I don't know what that was all about; it just seemed odd.

I was hoping for a graphic novel with a good story that addressed living with a chronic illness. I guess the book sort of succeeded on that level, though the chronic illness that grabbed my attention was not the one that was advertised. If the story had focused on Harriet's obvious mental issues, rather than her extremely rare neurological condition, I might've liked it more. As it is, I feel like I didn't get what I was promised.

Thank you to NetGalley and Graphic Universe for providing a digital ARC.

Plot: 2/5
Characters: 2/5
Pace: 3/5
Writing & Editing: 3/5
Illustration: 3/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 1/5

Overall Rating: 2.25 out of 5 ladybugs