“I wish there was a club for girls who don't want to join clubs.”
— Skim's internal thought about her social alienation.
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After a classmate's suicide, misfit Wiccan goth Skim navigates first love, depression, and self-discovery in a private girls' school obsessed with appearances.
Synopsis
Kimberly 'Skim' Keiko Cameron, a self-described goth, navigates a private girls' school after a classmate's ex-boyfriend dies by suicide. As the school displays grief and forced positivity, Skim feels more depressed and alone. Her inner world, full of thoughts on identity, sexuality, and belonging, grows more complex when she develops a crush on her English teacher, Ms. Lo. This forbidden affection, along with her changing friendship with Lisa and the school's focus on the suicide, makes Skim face her feelings of isolation. Through diary entries, internal thoughts, and interactions, Skim begins to understand herself, finding hope amid the pain of adolescence.
Reading time
90 min
Difficulty
Medium
Pacing
Moderate
Mood
Melancholy, Introspective, Poignant, Realistic
✓ Read this if...
You appreciate graphic novels that explore complex themes of identity, first love, depression, and queer awakening with sensitivity and artistic depth.
✗ Skip this if...
You prefer fast-paced plots or lighthearted reads, or are uncomfortable with mature themes like suicide and unrequited love for a teacher.
Plot Summary
The Suicide and the Aftermath
Kimberly 'Skim' Keiko Cameron, a goth, Wicca-interested student at an all-girls private school, tells the story after John Reddear, the ex-boyfriend of her classmate Katie Matthews, dies by suicide. The school, especially counselor Ms. Archer, reacts with a show of concern, starting grief counseling and urging students to express feelings in a structured, often shallow way. Popular girls form a 'Girls Celebrate Life!' club to promote positive thinking, but it becomes another way for social display. Skim, already thoughtful and melancholic, observes the school's reaction with a cynical eye, feeling separate from the manufactured sorrow.
Skim's Inner World and Friendships
Amid the school's response to John Reddear's death, Skim struggles with her identity and relationships. She spends time with her best friend, Lisa, who often encourages Skim's Wiccan interests but also has her own social issues. Skim feels alienated from the school culture and the forced positivity of the 'Girls Celebrate Life!' club. She thinks about her body image, her emerging sexuality, and a general feeling of not belonging. Her journal entries show a rich inner life with poetry, magical thoughts, and a deep wish for understanding that she does not find around her.
The Arrival of Ms. Lo
A new English teacher, Ms. Lo, arrives at the school, bringing an unconventional teaching style and a quiet, artistic manner. Skim is immediately drawn to Ms. Lo's intelligence and sensitivity, finding a similar spirit. Ms. Lo encourages creative expression and seems to genuinely see Skim's unique perspective, unlike many others at school. This admiration quickly turns into a strong crush for Skim, who begins to imagine a romantic connection with her teacher, seeing Ms. Lo as an escape from her ordinary, often lonely life.
Developing Feelings for Ms. Lo
Skim's crush on Ms. Lo grows, becoming her main focus. She carefully watches Ms. Lo, interprets every look and word, and fills her journal with thoughts and drawings of her. This crush gives Skim a significant emotional outlet, offering excitement and possibility that her daily life lacks. However, it also brings confusion and worry, as Skim considers the appropriateness and possibility of such feelings for an adult teacher. Her internal conflict is clear, moving between hopeful fantasy and the reality of their student-teacher dynamic. She starts to ignore other parts of her life for this intense emotional focus.
Lisa's New Relationship and Skim's Jealousy
Skim's best friend, Lisa, starts dating an older boy named Sam. This new relationship creates a divide between Skim and Lisa. Lisa becomes focused on Sam, spending less time with Skim and confiding in her less. Skim, already feeling alone and consumed by her feelings for Ms. Lo, feels a sharp pang of jealousy and abandonment. She resents Sam for taking Lisa's attention and feels left behind as Lisa enters a heterosexual relationship that Skim does not understand or relate to. This change in their friendship makes Skim feel more lonely and increases her desire for a deep connection.
The Halloween Party and the Kiss
Skim attends a Halloween party, feeling out of place until Ms. Lo unexpectedly arrives. The atmosphere changes for Skim, and she feels drawn to Ms. Lo, who is dressed as a witch. Amid the party, Skim and Ms. Lo share a private moment, ending in a kiss. This intimate encounter is a key event for Skim, confirming her intense feelings and temporarily fulfilling her deepest desires. However, it also creates great confusion and a sense of forbidden excitement, raising questions about their connection and the potential consequences. The kiss, while thrilling, leaves Skim in hopeful uncertainty.
The Aftermath of the Kiss
After the Halloween party, Ms. Lo's behavior toward Skim changes. She becomes distant and avoids Skim, clearly regretting their shared moment. This sudden withdrawal devastates Skim, who had seen the kiss as a sign of mutual feelings and a possible future. Skim is heartbroken and confused, trying to understand Ms. Lo's actions and the meaning of their encounter. The rejection increases Skim's feelings of loneliness, making her question her perceptions and her own desirability. The hopeful bubble she had built around Ms. Lo bursts, leaving her to face the pain of unrequited affection.
Confronting Lisa and the Breakdown of Friendship
The tension between Skim and Lisa reaches a breaking point. Skim, feeling more isolated and hurt by Ms. Lo's rejection, confronts Lisa about her focus on Sam and her perceived neglect of their friendship. The argument grows, revealing underlying resentments and different views on their bond. Lisa dismisses Skim's feelings, especially her crush on Ms. Lo, and says things that invalidate Skim's experiences. This confrontation causes a significant break between the two friends, leaving Skim feeling more alone and betrayed, as her closest friend now seems unwilling or unable to understand her struggles.
The School's Ongoing Obsession with John Reddear
Throughout Skim's personal trouble, the school's public grief over John Reddear's suicide continues. Ms. Archer and the 'Girls Celebrate Life!' club keep their watchful, if shallow, focus on 'healing' and 'moving on,' often overlooking the true struggles of students like Skim. The constant talk of grief and pressure to conform to a specific emotional response further alienates Skim, who finds the public display insincere. The school's inability to address deeper issues, such as mental health or queer identity, shows the disconnect between the institutional response and the students' experiences.
Skim's Journey Towards Self-Acceptance
Despite the heartbreak and alienation, Skim slowly begins to accept herself. She continues to explore her Wiccan interests, finding comfort and meaning in rituals and nature. Her journal remains an important outlet for her thoughts and feelings, allowing her to process her experiences and express her identity. While the pain of Ms. Lo's rejection and the strain on her friendship with Lisa remain, Skim starts to realize that her worth does not depend on outside approval. She learns to embrace her individuality, her unique perspective, and her growing understanding of her sexuality, even if it means taking a different path from those around her.
A Glimmer of Hope and Growth
Near the end of the story, Skim experiences small, important moments of personal growth and connection. While her relationship with Lisa remains strained, there is a subtle hint of potential future understanding. Skim continues her artistic and spiritual pursuits, finding strength in her own identity. The story ends not with all her problems solved, but with Skim having greater self-awareness and resilience. She is still navigating adolescence, but with a stronger sense of self and a growing ability to find comfort in her own unique world.
Principal Figures
Kimberly 'Skim' Keiko Cameron
The Protagonist
Skim transforms from a lonely, confused teen grappling with unrequited love and identity into a more self-aware and resilient individual who embraces her unique path.
Lisa
The Supporting
Lisa's arc involves her growing independence and engagement in a heterosexual relationship, causing a rift with Skim and challenging their friendship.
Ms. Lo
The Supporting
Ms. Lo serves as a catalyst for Skim's emotional awakening and heartbreak, but her own internal struggles or reasons for withdrawal remain largely unexplored from Skim's perspective.
Ms. Archer
The Supporting
Ms. Archer remains largely static, embodying the well-meaning but often out-of-touch adult authority figure in Skim's world.
Katie Matthews
The Supporting
Katie's arc is primarily as the catalyst for the school's reaction to suicide, rather than a personal journey explored in depth.
Sam
The Mentioned
Sam's presence primarily drives Lisa's changing social priorities, indirectly impacting Skim's isolation.
John Reddear
The Mentioned
John Reddear's impact is purely catalytic, setting the stage for the other characters' emotional journeys.
Themes & Insights
Identity and Self-Discovery
The novel explores Skim's struggle to define herself amid adolescent pressures, societal expectations, and her emerging sexuality. Skim's goth style, interest in Wicca, and artistic expression through her journal are all parts of her search for an authentic self. Her crush on Ms. Lo makes her face her sexual identity, which differs from her peers' heterosexual norms. The story shows the pain and confusion of not fitting in, but ultimately celebrates the strength found in embracing one's unique identity, as seen in Skim's continued commitment to her art and spirituality despite outside pressures.
“Maybe I should just be a ghost for Halloween. Or a witch. I think I'm a witch.”
First Love and Unrequited Affection
A central theme is Skim's intense and ultimately unrequited crush on her English teacher, Ms. Lo. This experience is shown with honesty, capturing the excitement, confusion, and heartbreak of first love, especially when it is forbidden or not acknowledged. The kiss at the Halloween party is a fleeting moment of connection that quickly gives way to Ms. Lo's withdrawal, leaving Skim to deal with the pain of rejection and the complicated emotions of desire. This theme highlights the vulnerability of young love and the challenges of navigating non-normative attractions.
“I think I'm in love with Ms. Lo. I think I'm in love with her eyes. And her hands. And her hair. And her smile.”
Grief and Performance
The school's reaction to John Reddear's suicide is a backdrop for Skim's personal journey, and also critiques performative grief. The administration, especially Ms. Archer, and the 'Girls Celebrate Life!' club create a structured and often shallow environment for mourning. Skim observes this with cynicism, feeling separate from the forced positivity and public displays of sorrow. This theme contrasts real, messy grief with institutionalized, sanitized versions, showing how such approaches can alienate individuals who do not fit prescribed emotional responses.
“Everyone's all 'grief cycle' this and 'healing process' that. It's like a play. And I don't know my lines.”
Friendship and Alienation
The change and eventual strain on Skim's friendship with Lisa is a key theme. Their bond is initially a comfort for Skim, but it worsens as Lisa becomes more involved with her new boyfriend, Sam. Skim feels more alone as Lisa's priorities shift and she struggles to understand Skim's experiences, especially her feelings for Ms. Lo. This theme explores the challenges of maintaining friendships during adolescence when individual paths diverge, and the pain of feeling misunderstood and abandoned by those closest to you. It shows the deep loneliness that can come with self-discovery.
“Sometimes I feel like Lisa and I are speaking different languages now.”
The Power of Art and Journaling
Skim's journal is not just a plot device but a central theme representing the power of creative expression and introspection. Through her drawings, poetry, and written entries, Skim processes her emotions, explores her identity, and makes sense of the confusing world around her. Her journal becomes a safe space where she can be her authentic self, free from outside judgment. This theme shows the therapeutic and self-affirming role of art and writing, especially for adolescents dealing with complex emotions and feeling different.
“My journal is the only place where I can really be myself.”
Plot Devices & Literary Techniques
First-Person Journal Narration
The story is told primarily through Skim's journal entries, including text and drawings.
The entire graphic novel is presented as Skim's personal journal, complete with her handwriting, doodles, and more elaborate illustrations. This device provides immediate and intimate access to Skim's inner thoughts, feelings, and perceptions. It allows the reader to experience events through her subjective lens, emphasizing her emotional state, her artistic inclinations, and her unique voice. The journal entries also serve to filter and interpret the external world, highlighting Skim's alienation and her rich internal life, making her a highly relatable and empathetic character.
Graphic Novel Format
The use of illustrations and visual storytelling to convey emotion and narrative.
As a graphic novel, 'Skim' utilizes the interplay of images and text to tell its story. The artwork, characterized by its evocative and often melancholic style, visually communicates Skim's emotional landscape, her body language, and the atmosphere of her world. The illustrations convey unspoken emotions, emphasize character interactions, and depict Skim's fantasies and internal struggles in a way that pure text could not. This format allows for a nuanced exploration of adolescence, where much is felt but not always articulated verbally, making the visual elements crucial to the narrative's depth and impact.
The Suicide of John Reddear
An inciting incident that creates a pervasive atmosphere of grief and institutional reaction.
The suicide of John Reddear, Katie Matthews' ex-boyfriend, serves as the primary inciting incident for the novel. While John himself is never a character, his death acts as a catalyst for the entire school's focus on grief, counseling, and 'healing.' This event creates a specific social and emotional environment within the school – one of performative sorrow and institutional intervention – against which Skim's personal struggles with identity, love, and alienation are starkly contrasted. It highlights the varying ways individuals and institutions cope (or fail to cope) with tragedy, often overlooking deeper personal struggles in favor of a superficial response.
Wiccan/Spiritual Elements
Skim's interest in Wicca and magic as a coping mechanism and form of self-expression.
Skim's fascination with Wicca, spells, and natural magic serves as a significant plot device. It provides her with a framework for understanding the world, a sense of control, and a means of expressing her longing for meaning and connection. Her rituals and beliefs offer a private refuge from the mundane and often disappointing reality of her life. While not overtly magical in the narrative, these elements underscore Skim's search for identity, her desire for agency, and her unique way of processing emotions, symbolizing her yearning for something more profound than the superficiality around her.
Critical analysis
Notable Quotes
“It's like I'm always waiting for something to happen, but nothing ever does. And then when something does happen, it's not what I was waiting for.”
— Skim reflecting on the mundane nature of her life and unexpected events.
“I like the idea of being a witch. Not a pointy-hat, broomstick witch, but a quietly powerful, knowing-things witch.”
— Skim's musings on her identity and a desire for inner strength.
“Sometimes I feel like I'm just watching my life happen, instead of living it.”
— Skim expressing a sense of detachment from her own experiences.
“Maybe being alone isn't so bad. Maybe it's just different.”
— Skim contemplating her solitude and trying to reframe it positively.
“The world is full of people who are just waiting for you to fail.”
— A cynical observation by Skim, reflecting her anxieties.
“It's hard to be a girl. You're supposed to be so many things at once.”
— Skim's reflection on the pressures and expectations placed on young women.
“I think I'm in love with my English teacher.”
— Skim's pivotal realization about her feelings for Ms. Archer.
“What if you don't fit into any of the boxes they give you?”
— Skim's questioning of societal norms and categories.
“Goth is not a phase, Mom. It's a lifestyle.”
— Skim's defense of her subculture to her mother.
“Sometimes you just have to create your own magic.”
— Skim's internal thought about finding joy and meaning.
“It's weird how you can feel so close to someone, but also so far away.”
— Skim's feelings about her friends and the emotional distance between them.
“Maybe growing up is just learning how to carry all your secrets.”
— Skim's pensive thought about the burdens of adulthood.
“I wonder if anyone else feels this lost.”
— Skim's universal question about her sense of being adrift.
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Key Questions (FAQ)
'Skim' centers on Kimberly Keiko Cameron, a 'not-slim, would-be Wiccan goth' attending an all-girls private school. The narrative explores her experiences with depression, first love, and identity amidst the heightened emotional atmosphere following a classmate's ex-boyfriend's suicide.
About the author
Biography coming soon.
