Friendship

The author uses her main characters' close relationships in order to explore the power and importance of friendship. Throughout the novel, the author shows her characters sharing conversations within the same imagistic panels, a stylistic choice which conveys their closeness. For example, in Chapter 1, while Mei is feeding the chickens, Bee approaches her with "a gift from town" (12). The surrounding images show Mei's and Bee's faces within the same panels. The speech bubbles in these panels trace the friends' conversation about reading and books. One text box in the lower left hand corner of the page reads, "Bee and I have been friends since we were little" (12). This impromptu gift exchange, therefore, is an illustration of their particular friendship. Throughout the novel, repeated interactions between Mei and Bee present both the easy and difficult aspects of their relationship. Although they have known each other for many...