Raised by Ghosts

by | Mar 7, 2025

After her acclaimed graphic memoir, Ephemera, Briana Loewinsohn explores a fictional account of her adolescent years in the graphic novel, Raised By Ghosts. Set in the 90’s, through her years in middle and high school, the story follows Briana traveling between the houses of her divorced parents as she finds friends, music, and art.

Loewinsohn has a distinct style to her writing and illustrations that lends itself well to remembered stories. The text is primarily in journal entries, juxtaposed against comic panels illustrating her daily life. The words are filled with emotion and metaphor, and the watercolor illustrations are toned down in shades of brown. Just as in Ephemera, her book in memory of a lost mom, Raised by Ghosts, feels like a delicate remembrance of Loewinsohn’s past.

Briana’s journal entries are written on top of illustrated torn journal pages. Through these journals we see the inner world of a young girl struggling to find a place at home and school. In the illustrations she is taking the bus to school and struggling through class. At home it is quiet and the houses are lonely with parents who are only just glimpsed through overheard comments, half-hearted replies, or shouted demands from off the page. In high school the illustrations show her with new found friends and smiles on her face, but home is still lonely and quiet, with little more than traces of either parent to grace the panel illustrations.

“Maybe years later all these hours will blend together into one eternal day. Long days on a bus that goes nowhere and will never end.” Lowinsohn’s attention to her writing and illustrations, elevates the beauty of this graphic novel. The words themselves are beautiful. I found myself collecting quote after beautiful quote. The journal pages are all handwritten. It is not a handwritten font, but rather handwriting, that evolves as Briana the character ages. There is little dialogue until her older years, as her friendships deepen and those conversations grow in importance, so the bulk of the story is told through the journal.

There are other characters in the book other than Briana, parents who are never physically seen on the page, except for the hand of her mother. Siblings are mentioned once but never seen or heard. Her friends are on the page though, such as Clera, Emily, and Jacob. However, the story is at its very core Briana’s. The others have no arcs or growth. Briana’s sense of self, existence, is defined by the absence of her parents and the presence of her friends, and that is how they are included in the story.

Briana truly finds herself when she finds art. The illustrations transform, as she slips into the pages, embraced in a way that no one else could. The surreal illustrations seep with emotion and capture more truth for Briana than the realism throughout the rest of the book.

Just as with Ephemera, this book is stunning, from top to bottom. It is a beautiful exploration of the inner life of a girl discovering herself and the world around her. It is highly recommended for anyone who loves beautiful emotional stories.

Raised by Ghosts is written for the young adult market. It may not fly off the shelf since it is not a typical graphic novel, and may not find its people among those readers. However, those who are looking for books that revolve around emotion more than plot will adore this read. When imagining who I will hand this book to, it is my poetry readers who I think will most cherish the book. Buy it, read it for yourself. It is beautiful and you won’t regret it.

Raised by Ghosts
By Briana Loewinsohn
Fantagraphics, 2025
ISBN: 9798875000508

Company Age Rating: 14-18

NFNT Age Recommendation: Older Teen (16-18), Teen (13-16)

Ephemera: a memoir

by | Apr 14, 2023

Ephemera, a beautifully written and illustrated graphic memoir by Briana Loewinsohn, opens with the dedication “For my mum and other things not built to last,” a perfect encapsulation of her story. Loewinsohn’s childhood was filled with plants in the place of family. She sought out connection and nourishment in the absence of a mother lost in her own struggles with mental health. It is filled with emotion, vulnerability, and rejuvenation among plants.

The story isn’t linear, rather, it is an almost poetic exploration of Loewinsohn’s childhood through the lens of her adult memories, processing the trauma from her childhood in a way that also embraces the small moments of love and beauty among plants from a mother who had little to offer. The book is split into 3 chapters, “Dirt,” “Water,” and “Light,” the ingredients for gardeners to properly nourish plants. Each chapter opens with a two page spread with the title embraced by plants thriving under the respective ingredients. It then alternates between scenes from Loewinsohn’s childhood among trees and plants with her as an adult, attempting to nurture the plants of her childhood back to health, rejuvenating the garden with knowledge she learned from her mother as a child.

Plants, flowers, and people need nourishment.  Some survive in difficult conditions, and some struggle in conditions in which others thrive. The mother wilts, but Loewinsohn survives. Her mother, like many plants, is ephemeral, meant to be cherished, but not for long. It is a book of love and mourning. Of life, beauty and loss.

The pages where Loewinsohn as an adult gardens, remembering her childhood are illustrated in warm brown tones. The plants are dry and in need of nourishment, in contrast to the thriving spring like plants of her childhood. However, those childhood pages are illustrated in cold greenish blue tones. Much of her childhood in the book was alone with plants, vines and flowers filling the space left empty by a mother who wasn’t able to give her the nourishment she needed. But even if they appeared on the surface to be thriving, the cold lack of nourishment for the plants and Loewinsohn as a child, has led to pain and trauma that she attempts to explore and understand as an adult. However, with warmth and nourishment, the plants and Loewinsohn can begin to heal.

After reading a digital galley of Ephemera, I immediately pre ordered a print copy for my personal collection. I usually lean into the convenience of ebooks and audiobooks, but I desperately wanted to hold this book. It is beautiful. The publisher, Fantagraphics does the illustrations and story justice in its printing. The book is a work of art that will be cherished by many. It might not stand out on the shelves, but once held, its beauty is obvious. Ephemera is highly recommended. Adults are the intended audience, but this book may do well in high schools where memoirs or literary graphic novels are well-read.

Ephemera: A Memoir  
By Briana Loewinsohn
Fantagraphics, 2023
ISBN: 9781683966906

NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18)