IN The UNDERWOOD by Kourtney Spadoni – Graphic Novels, Mental Health, Coming of Age Memoirs

In the Underwood by Kourtney Spadoni is a memoir in graphic novel form, a thoughtful and gentle story about a young girl struggling with mental health issues, and learning how to keep them at bay as she grows up.

What if Alice’s adventures in the strange and fabulous Wonderland were the result of a mental health crisis instead of a story? In the Underwood draws metaphors inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll and evokes the mood of Robert Frost’s classic poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.”

Author Spadoni relates with a simple narrative and delicate art style how as a child she was prone to severe bouts of anxiety, leading to her crying uncontrollably in her classes and avoiding other children in social situations.

She describes episodes in which she withdraws and attempts to hide within herself. A cat, in Wonderland and in real life, appears and acts as an occasional guide through the fantasy land, where a mad queen in red tells her over and over again that she’s not good enough, that she’s weak, before she eventually learns to stand up to the queen.

Ultimately, she manages to tell herself that despite her fears, “it’s not the end of the world.” This phrase becomes her personal talisman. Through her ups and downs, she steps forward and through the darkness before coming out on the other side, addressing her fears and eventually conquering them.

In the long run, Spadoni comes out of her shell, gains friends, develops a group with whom to share similar interests, and learns how to control and deal with the anxiety that overwhelmed her when she was younger.

However, later on, depression comes for a visit, and she has to step up for another fight—a fight she is now better equipped to win.

The art and coloring of In the Underwood match the mood of the work, and like the Frost poem, they conjure the depth and even the darkness and stillness of the night. The words themselves seem to swirl in a mist, sometimes vivid and sometimes faint, reflecting the author’s mind, both when it’s at its lowest and darkest and when it’s at its strongest.

Kourtney Spadoni’s tale about battling mental illness as a youngster, told in vibrant graphic novel form, is a winning combination and should be a go-to for young people in crisis.

In the Underwood by Kourtney Spadoni won First Place in the 2021 CIBA Shorts Awards in the Graphic Stories category.