A stunning graphic novel illustrated using just a graphite pencil, My Body In Pieces by Marie-Noëlle Hébert and translated by Shelley Tanaka will strike a cord for every reader who picks it up.

It’s a deeply personal story about Marie-Noëlle’s struggle with weight and her self esteem. Her journey regarding her body image is poetically captured within the pages and will hopefully provide comfort and guidance to readers who are feeling many of the same things or who have had similar experiences. It’s such a universal thing to explore as the beauty industry is constantly telling us we are less than, we need their products to be whole, to love ourselves, to be “our best selves”. For many of us, women in particular, we could be anything we wanted to be, just not fat, that was the message we received as young people, teenagers. If we weren’t being reminded about diet culture by watching our parents, we were bombarded with messages of what is ideal from popular culture. Marie-Noëlle takes the readers through her own journey, her own story of growing up and being constantly told by her parents, her father in particular, and other family members that she was too fat. Hearing things like “Why do you eat so much?” And “Just wear black, it’s slimming” fostered so much anger, confusion and depression. When a friend helps her to realize that she needs help, to talk to someone about those feelings, she finally gets to a place where she is a little more accepting of her body.

The captivating illustrations transport the reader back and forth through time, from the present to childhood, young adulthood to birth, Marie-Noëlle. The graphics flow through all of the pages twisting and turning. The pain she feels is palpable and the hopelessness is evident. There are also moments of levity, of twirling in the grass of love.

My Body In Pieces is a beautiful story, a story that many people, young and old will identify with and which will help many of those same people. We should not feel shame for the body in which we inhabit. Our bodies are miracles and capable of so much, of carrying our lives. Until that message is internalized by everyone and there are changes in the beauty industry and popular culture we will unfortunately continue to need stories like My Body in Pieces to feel seen and understood and to hopefully provide guidance and reassurance.