Snapshots of a Girl

By Beldan Sezen. Published by Arsenal Pulp Press. 

Softcover, 152 pages, B&W, 2015. 

A funny, poignant graphic novel about a young woman's coming out amidst both Islamic and western cultures.

In this fresh, often funny autobiographical graphic novel, Beldan Sezen depicts her coming of age, and her coming out as lesbian, in both western and Islamic cultures (as the daughter of Turkish immigrants in western Europe)--to friends, family, and herself. Through a series of charming, self-deprecating vignettes that take place in North America, Germany, the Netherlands, and Turkey, she navigates the messy conflicts of her life, dealing with family issues, bad dates, sexual politics, and self-doubt with the honesty, humor, and spunk of a young woman simply looking for happiness around her. Imbued with the candor of Alison Bechdel and the quirk of Lynda Barry, Snapshots of a Girl is a thoroughly modern, pop culture-infused take on dyke life and cultural identity.

[Sezen's] sketchy, almost dreamy, art is powerful. The black and white lines are stark on the page, providing a glimpse into Sezen's complex emotions. Readers can feel them simmering below the surface through her art, but at the same time, there is whimsy present. It's not a memoir about facing difficulty, though Sezen certainly has her share of challenges, but rather, a celebration of finding yourself. -Panels (Book Riot)

- Panels

Snapshots of a Girl is an inspiring and sometimes wrenching story about a girl learning to take charge -- of her body and her desires -- not despite her detours and downfalls, but through them. -Plenitude

- Plenitude

Beldan Sezen is a gifted cartoonist. Her delicate cartoon images are often quite spare, executed sometimes in exquisite detail and sometimes in simplified and stylized treatment. The ironic intelligence of the accompanying text and the innocent feel of the cartoons themselves make this a very impressive piece of work, a moving commentary on what it means to grow up female, brown and queer in contemporary Europe. -Vancouver Sun

- Vancouver Sun

Sezen's artwork shifts from just-above stick figure to photorealism and all points in between. She contrasts heartbreaking experiences with Muslim girls who can't handle the realities of coming out with a heart-warming scene in which a small, traditional gesture conveys her mother's acceptance. -The Advocate

- The Advocate

An engrossing look into one person's struggle with her identity and her search for love. -Herizons

- Herizons