Thieves - A Review by Diza Baryshnikov

I was looking for a new graphic novel to read, since I hadn't read one in a while, and I came across Thieves by Lucie Bryon. It is an adorable and playful story with distinctive styles, and I loved reading it. I was a bit surprised that it isn't that well known currently, since it is better than some other popular graphic novels, but those books that go mainstream are probably determined in other ways...

The story begins with Ella, a senior, who is entranced by a classmate in school, Madeleine. After the school day, she goes to a party at a mansion with her friend, and ends up getting drunk and feeling nauseous after the long night. She looks around the many rooms to try to find a bathroom, and after many failed attempts, vomits in a closet with many interesting artifacts and objects. The next day, she wakes up to find that she brought the objects home with her. While panicking, she hears knocking on the door, and it turns out to be Madeleine, the owner of the mansion and come to ask if Ella was okay since she went home alone. Madeleine goes on to mention that stuff was stolen, and Ella gets a bit concerned. Still, the two drink tea and chat for a while, and there is a romantic moment, and the two kiss. They go to school the next day, enjoy time together, and Ella's friend invites them to another party. Ella decides to bring the objects she took to place them in someone else's hands. At the party however, she leaves Madeleine alone to talk to friends, while not knowing anyone. Madeleine is upset, and walks around the house. She finds some fancy scissors and puts them in her pocket. When a couple comes in she hides in the closet, and Ella, trying to find somewhere to put the stuff, is there too. They are shocked to see each other and the stuff they hold, and we get a backstory of Madeleine. She steals things often, and the stuff that Ella stole was already stolen from other parties. After going home to talk about what happened, they understand the situation and devise a plan. They will go to parties to return the objects to the original owner. This begins the main adventure, of fancy outfits and chaotic missions.

Although I tend to be all or nothing on romance books, I believe that this one was done very well. The romance between Ella and Madeleine is a much more realistic portrayal of queer relationships than often shown (despite the fact that the story is slightly unrealistic). Bryon does not focus on rocky coming outs and queer distress, but the excitement of any high school relationship. Although being queer inherently comes with struggles in this society, that is not all that it is about, and this is a refreshing reminder of the adorable moments and fun with any romantic relationship. Bryon also portrays a realistic and adorable representation of queer romance through her art while not making it the main story arc. Their adventures are the main story arc, and the romance comes as a wonderful aspect. This is the representation that people have been striving for for a long time.

Bryon also creatively depicts overthinking and does not magically cure it by the end. While we see Madeleine's point of view, we can see what she is saying to people next to what she is thinking about and see what she covers up. I think that it was a very interesting way of showing Madeleine worrying about being polite, while not just saying so. By the end, when many things improve, it never says that she just does not overthink anymore, but we can see that she is dealing with it better than before. 

The book also has a very distinct and imaginative art style, and is colorful and expressive, while not using many colors. I thoroughly enjoyed each page's appealing design, and the beautifully expressive art. The entire book is adorably aesthetic and fun.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone and I hope that many more people enjoy it as much as I did. Lucie Bryon is pretty cool and I think you should go get a copy of this book...

- Diza :)