By Mariko Tamaki
After reading the novel Cold, I left with a sense of curiosity, and the feeling of being understood. Cold, a fiction graphic novel, published only February 7th of 2022, was written by the Canadian artist and writer, Mariko Tamaraki. Tamarki is known for one of her best works, the book I Am Not Starfire, which doesn’t deter from the quality of her novel Cold. Cold is about the dead body of Todd Mayer, 17 years old, being discovered in a public park, yet Todd is still able to see everything in his afterlife, he is a ghost. Another important role in the graphic novel is Georgia, a snarky, bitter 16-year-old who is curious about the death of Todd. Both characters are alike in that both are around the same age, identify as queer, and are seen to be different from others at their school. Georgia’s life starts to become surrounded by her obsession with Todd, she quenches her deprivation of knowledge of Todd’s death by uncovering the mysteries of his death.
It was hard to put the book down, especially knowing that each page I turned was closer to finding out who killed Todd Mayer, that was what made the book good. I felt like as time went on and Georgia was solving her curiosity, mine grew. The ending of the book was very abrupt, which I didn’t like. If the book was longer, there would have been a better flow. Furthermore, though I may not be queer or bullied, I was able to put myself in the shoes of Todd Mayer, let alone Georgia. The spirit of both characters is what I could empathize with, teenage years can be depressing. I liked Tamarki’s style of writing in the novel, which switches the perspectives of the characters, foreshadowing the simple and important details that Georgia uncovered, which is why I give the novel a 4-star rating, instead of a five.
Moreover, the underlying message that the book delivers is to speak when you have a voice, which is something the four characters in the story don’t do. The book also brought up issues with bullying and homophobia with Todd and Georgia’s character, which I liked. The bullying that was brought up throughout the book reminded me of R.J. Palacio, one of her famous works, was Wonder. Palacio writes the true story of a kid who suffers from bullying in the book, named Auggie Pullman. Auggie and Todd both faced bullying, the difference was that Augie was able to escape it, unlike Todd.
The ending of the book without a doubt gave me chills, which I am sure was intended by the author. I recommend this book for teenagers who enjoy reading murder mysteries. A message that I want to give to future readers is to pay attention to the close details and try to put yourself in the shoes of Todd Mayer and Georgia. I give the novel, Cold, a four-star-rating due to the fact that its ending didn’t flow well, but overall it delivered a great message and captured the true sense of mystery and thriller.
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