REVIEW: Quiet Girl in a Noisy World: An Introvert's Story (graphic novel) by Debbie Tung

Quiet Girl in a Noisy World is an autobiographical graphic novel. I got my copy via interlibrary loan.

Review:

Debbie Tung is an introvert, although she didn't always know that. At the beginning of this graphic novel, when she was still in grad school, she figured she was just weird. As she meets the person she'll eventually marry, finishes grad school, and deals with her first job and a work environment that seems to do nothing but drain her, she gradually figures herself out and becomes more comfortable with and less apologetic about her introversion.

This was a quick and largely relatable read. Her "what it's like to be an introvert" and "books make me happy" comics seemed really familiar, so I'm guessing I've probably seen Tung's comics shared on Booklikes and elsewhere.

I was a little surprised at how long it took Tung to figure out that she was an introvert. That said, I can't remember exactly when I found out about introverts and realized I was one - I feel like I've always known, or at least there was no "eureka" moment for me like there was for Tung. I could understand her relief at finally having a word for what she was, however. While not everyone is fond of labels, they can be a nice way for people who feel they're "weird" to learn that they're not alone.

There were a bunch of book- and introversion-related comics in this volume that I loved. I also thought it was sweet how well Tung and her extrovert husband seemed to mesh. The only parts that didn't work quite so well for me were the comics related to job hunting and job quitting.

I don't know if Tung streamlined her experiences in an effort to keep things simpler for her comics or if this was how things actually went for her, but it took me aback that, as far as I could tell, she only had to go to one job interview before she was offered a job (which involved an "introvert's hell" open-plan work environment she didn't know about until her first day on the job, so I guess the interview didn't involve a quick tour). And her only concern about quitting her job seemed to be that she'd be letting everyone down. Meanwhile, the first things that came to my mind were money and how long it might take to find another job (she opted to become self-employed).

For the most part, though, I really enjoyed this and would recommend it to other bookish introverts. As long as they're not currently involved in a long job hunt.