A Map to the Sun by Sloane Leong

First, a word from the publisher: “A Map to the Sun is a gripping YA graphic novel about five principle players in a struggling girls’ basketball team.” With the basic premise sorted, what are my thoughts on the work? Read on to find out.

What Worked For Me:

I appreciated the message at the heart of the work about the power of community and friendship.
I liked the representation the work offered: the primary cast are all women of color, and each face their own trials and tribulations.
The work doesn’t shy away from topics like sexism, fatphobia, and poverty. In other words, the work is grounded in a reality faced by many (though certainly not all).
The inclusion of additional art at the end of the book was a nice bonus.
Though basketball is a big part of this work’s plot, intimate knowledge of the sport is not required to understand or appreciate the work. Basketball could’ve been replaced with just about any other team sport (assuming a similar number of players were involved).

What Didn’t Work For Me:

While the color palette was aesthetically pleasing, it didn’t always lend itself to the clearest narrative. Between the color palette and somewhat loose rendering style, I occasionally found it difficult to tell who was who, especially during basketball games or during scenes with lots of people.
The story leaves a number of big plot threads hanging, such as what happens to Viva after setting fire to an apartment and what happens with the coach that had a relationship with Jetta. This struggle is only compounded by the fact that aforementioned plotline with Jetta is dropped after the coach refuses to see or speak with her again. This isn’t the only dropped plotline, either like Ren’s injury, or her conflict with Yolanda. Perhaps this is part of the struggle of telling the story of 5 people: not everyone is going to get their time in the spotlight.

Conclusion:

If the “A E S T H E T I C” of the cover is your speed, this work is worth checking out. This is doubly true if you’re into stories of community, personal growth, and coming of age. Ultimately, while the work didn’t blow me away, it was a nice counterpoint to some of the other works I’ve read lately (Dark Hunger comes immediately to mind; if I had one word to describe that work it’d be “OOF”).

Check it out here.