Review by Karl Verhoven
Yan has anxiety issues for which she sees a therapist, and part of the treatment is a recommendation she joins a baking club. We follow her to an introductory meeting where she constantly feels insecure among the half dozen friendly people, envying their ability to communicate. As we come to know more about Yan it’s shown that she overthinks all social situations, totally concerned about how she’s perceived by others and is never her natural self in order to compensate for that.
Graphic novels dealing with mental issues are a relatively common niche market these days, and while anything prompting discussion about a form of illness that’s been ignored for too long is good, it means there’s a greater need to stand out. Kim-Joy’s method is not only to follow Yan through a few weeks of her life, but to include the recipes for what’s baked at each of the classes she attends, which is a way of her funnelling in her primary trade. She’s a winner of a UK baking show, and has since published recipe books. However, it gradually becomes apparent that Kim has more in mind than offering an extra, as the philosophies of baking equally apply to human character. “We’ve got to fall down a few times before things get better”, Yan is told on her first trial, and while the comparisons could be strained, they’re not. There’s no forced contrivance to make a metaphor fit.
Artist Alti Firmansyah is best known for drawing superheroes, but hers is a sensitive and character-rich style that brings home what people feel. Sections without words feature, showcasing the strong storytelling, and the process pages at the back show the strong design work. The cast are designed as friendly people that you’re supposed to like, and you will. They’re intended as ethnically diverse, which doesn’t come through from the art alone, needing a look at Yan’s family life to confirm her background for instance, but otherwise Firmansyah impresses.
The unusual title acquires a meaning when the baking class unite to create their own recipe for a competition, something Kim has worked out herself, with the recipe included. From there it seems Turtle Bread will follow a predictable path of immersion gradually and unknowingly creating confidence, which is the case. However, Kim’s isn’t one to cheat readers by pretending that all issues are so simply solved, so a new plot sees the story out via an event that sends all Yan’s previous anxieties rushing back.
Turtle Bread deals with issues affecting too many people with charm and sensitivity, but not in a way that ignores reality. Kim’s fanbase in the wider world will be enriched for reading this.
