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Ephemera
A debut graphic novel that poignantly blends memoir, magic realism, and graphic medicine.
Ephemera is a poetic and dreamlike take on a graphic memoir set in a garden, a forest, and a greenhouse. The story drifts among a grown woman, her early memories as a child, and the gossamer existence of her mother. A lyrical entry in the field of graphic medicine, Ephemera is a story about a daughter trying to relate to a parent who struggles with mental illness. Gorgeously illustrated in a painted palette of warmy, earthy tones, it is a quiet book of isolation, plants, confusion, acceptance, and the fog of childhood. Loewinsohn’s debut book is an aching, meditative twist on autobiography, infusing the genre with an ethereal fusion of memory and imagination.
Ephemera is a poetic and dreamlike take on a graphic memoir set in a garden, a forest, and a greenhouse. The story drifts among a grown woman, her early memories as a child, and the gossamer existence of her mother. A lyrical entry in the field of graphic medicine, Ephemera is a story about a daughter trying to relate to a parent who struggles with mental illness. Gorgeously illustrated in a painted palette of warmy, earthy tones, it is a quiet book of isolation, plants, confusion, acceptance, and the fog of childhood. Loewinsohn’s debut book is an aching, meditative twist on autobiography, infusing the genre with an ethereal fusion of memory and imagination.
200 pages, Hardcover
First published March 21, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 219 reviews
May 6, 2024
�To me, the world felt simple�
…and magical.�
The past often leaves its fingerprints on the present. �The past does not haunt us. We haunt the past,� wrote , ‘� Such is the case in Briana Loewinsohn’s quietly moving graphic novel Ephemera: A Memoir as a young woman returns to her childhood home and finds herself immersed in the ghosts of the past as she haunts them as much as they haunt her while trying to grow something beautiful for the future. Moving through thematic chapters that examine her life in the context of ideas like dirt, water or light as she clears away the weeds growing in both the soil and her memories to let light in and grow herself along with her sprouts. Gorgeously illustrated with a minimal style to match the minimal text and moving like a somber dream, Ephemera is a sparse but heartwrenching book that drags you through the sadness but leaves you to bask in the redemptive warmth of hope and acceptance.
The story of Ephemera moves fluidly across time, using a warm color palette to represent the present and cool colors for the past. While this helps ground the reader in the timeline, it often blurs past and present in ways that show how the past haunts us as we haunt the past and makes for a rather moving depiction of memory that recalls something I once read from that �memories separated in time are often recalled side by side-there's an emotional connection that has nothing to do with the diary dates and everything to do with the feeling.�
This blurring of time to juxtapose the emotions of past and present, such as watching the adult woman re-experience the traumas of her childhood and reach out to her young self will certainly reach into your own heart to play your heartstrings like a harp. While her childhood self mostly remembers the space and happiness of nature, she realizes how much her mother loomed large casting a somber shadow over everything. Especially in her absence, though even when she was physically present she is shown as still being emotionally absent for the most part. �It looked like you would be back any minute but also like you had never been real at all,� she recalls of her mother’s empty bedroom and how even trying to help her mother was met with reprimands for making it worse. �I’m sorry� seems a mantra of her childhood and that loneliness still rears its head in the present. Even in thoughts such as �sometimes I worry about the plants that grow alone.�
Yet, for all the pain, we see how she still loves her mother and tries to emulate her, finding solace in the garden as she often witnessed her mother doing. �If i could just…be like you,� she reflects on her childhood self trying to learn from her mother, �or, at least, understand why we weren’t enough.� The minimal art coupled with minimal text makes this feel rather empty in a way that emphasizes the emotional resonance without making the story feel thin, which is really an impressive accomplishment. It is a sad story, but one that feels rather healing, the way scar tissue is tougher than the skin before a hurt. Gorgeously haunting, Ephemera: A Memoir cuts with memory but heals with self-acceptance and reminds us to love one another while we still can.
4/5
…and magical.�
The past often leaves its fingerprints on the present. �The past does not haunt us. We haunt the past,� wrote , ‘� Such is the case in Briana Loewinsohn’s quietly moving graphic novel Ephemera: A Memoir as a young woman returns to her childhood home and finds herself immersed in the ghosts of the past as she haunts them as much as they haunt her while trying to grow something beautiful for the future. Moving through thematic chapters that examine her life in the context of ideas like dirt, water or light as she clears away the weeds growing in both the soil and her memories to let light in and grow herself along with her sprouts. Gorgeously illustrated with a minimal style to match the minimal text and moving like a somber dream, Ephemera is a sparse but heartwrenching book that drags you through the sadness but leaves you to bask in the redemptive warmth of hope and acceptance.
The story of Ephemera moves fluidly across time, using a warm color palette to represent the present and cool colors for the past. While this helps ground the reader in the timeline, it often blurs past and present in ways that show how the past haunts us as we haunt the past and makes for a rather moving depiction of memory that recalls something I once read from that �memories separated in time are often recalled side by side-there's an emotional connection that has nothing to do with the diary dates and everything to do with the feeling.�
This blurring of time to juxtapose the emotions of past and present, such as watching the adult woman re-experience the traumas of her childhood and reach out to her young self will certainly reach into your own heart to play your heartstrings like a harp. While her childhood self mostly remembers the space and happiness of nature, she realizes how much her mother loomed large casting a somber shadow over everything. Especially in her absence, though even when she was physically present she is shown as still being emotionally absent for the most part. �It looked like you would be back any minute but also like you had never been real at all,� she recalls of her mother’s empty bedroom and how even trying to help her mother was met with reprimands for making it worse. �I’m sorry� seems a mantra of her childhood and that loneliness still rears its head in the present. Even in thoughts such as �sometimes I worry about the plants that grow alone.�
Yet, for all the pain, we see how she still loves her mother and tries to emulate her, finding solace in the garden as she often witnessed her mother doing. �If i could just…be like you,� she reflects on her childhood self trying to learn from her mother, �or, at least, understand why we weren’t enough.� The minimal art coupled with minimal text makes this feel rather empty in a way that emphasizes the emotional resonance without making the story feel thin, which is really an impressive accomplishment. It is a sad story, but one that feels rather healing, the way scar tissue is tougher than the skin before a hurt. Gorgeously haunting, Ephemera: A Memoir cuts with memory but heals with self-acceptance and reminds us to love one another while we still can.
4/5
February 18, 2024
A melancholy little mood piece has a woman reflecting on her childhood with a mother who was often emotionally and physically absent due to her mental health issues. She uses their shared interest in gardening as a means to cope with and connect to the fleeting memories she has of her mother.
FOR REFERENCE:
Contents: Dirt -- Water -- Light -- Epilogue
Trivia: Briana Loewinsohn shares a studio with Gene Luen Yang and Thien Pham and appears briefly in and .
(Best of 2023 Project: I'm reading all the graphic novels that made it onto one or more of these lists:
� Washington Post 10 Best Graphic Novels of 2023
� Publishers Weekly 2023 Graphic Novel Critics Poll
� NPR's Books We Love 2023: Favorite Comics and Graphic Novels
This book made the PW list.)
FOR REFERENCE:
Contents: Dirt -- Water -- Light -- Epilogue
Trivia: Briana Loewinsohn shares a studio with Gene Luen Yang and Thien Pham and appears briefly in and .
(Best of 2023 Project: I'm reading all the graphic novels that made it onto one or more of these lists:
� Washington Post 10 Best Graphic Novels of 2023
� Publishers Weekly 2023 Graphic Novel Critics Poll
� NPR's Books We Love 2023: Favorite Comics and Graphic Novels
This book made the PW list.)
October 24, 2023
A beautifully illustrated book of a woman remembering her childhood with an absentee mother suffering from depression. Very lyrical and dreamlike. The colors set a somber yet warm mood.
There's not a whole lot to it, a quick read but one I found very rewarding.
There's not a whole lot to it, a quick read but one I found very rewarding.
April 24, 2023
4.5⭐️
This is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read! The author recalls her childhood with a mom who struggled through mental health crises and was not very present. The memoir uses mostly images to tell the story, with words and dialogue used sparingly to create a poignant, melancholic mood. The connection too nature and plants and gardens adds a lot visually and gives the book a lot of hope.
It is a beautiful story and is truly a work of art.
This is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read! The author recalls her childhood with a mom who struggled through mental health crises and was not very present. The memoir uses mostly images to tell the story, with words and dialogue used sparingly to create a poignant, melancholic mood. The connection too nature and plants and gardens adds a lot visually and gives the book a lot of hope.
It is a beautiful story and is truly a work of art.
April 2, 2023
A beautiful memoir in dreamy illustrations. Powerful for people who have complex relationships with their mothers � or people who worry that the mess in their mind might affect their own family one day.
August 30, 2023
Really haunting and sad graphic memoir about a daughter grappling with her mother's mental illness. I felt this one.
August 15, 2024
asi jsem nečetla komiks, který tak moc nesou spíš emoce než vlastní příběh.
skvěle ilustrované vzpomínky dospělé ženy na zmatek, který v ní v dětství vyvolávala duchem nepřítomná, depresivní máma, a na smutek, který od mala zahání v lese a mezi kytkami. když se snaží oživit máminu zahradu, detailně si všímá půdy, slunce i vody � podle kterých autorka nazvala i jednotlivé kapitoly.
se vzpomínkami ve studených, neveselých barvách kontrastuje současnost v teplých a nadějných tónech a vyprávění přitom plyne „pomalu a líně�, jen s několika málo slovy, skoro jako meditace... a co teprve ty všudypřítomné rostliny! asi si to dám brzy ještě jednou.
skvěle ilustrované vzpomínky dospělé ženy na zmatek, který v ní v dětství vyvolávala duchem nepřítomná, depresivní máma, a na smutek, který od mala zahání v lese a mezi kytkami. když se snaží oživit máminu zahradu, detailně si všímá půdy, slunce i vody � podle kterých autorka nazvala i jednotlivé kapitoly.
se vzpomínkami ve studených, neveselých barvách kontrastuje současnost v teplých a nadějných tónech a vyprávění přitom plyne „pomalu a líně�, jen s několika málo slovy, skoro jako meditace... a co teprve ty všudypřítomné rostliny! asi si to dám brzy ještě jednou.
August 12, 2023
I have never read a graphic novel so moving. The way the author shifts between present and past perfectly evoke the feeling of remembering childhood through glimpses of impactful moments. The use of gardening as a metaphor for care is clever and flawlessly executed. The visuals are evocative and intricate and carry the weight of the storytelling, which doesn't always happen in a graphic novel. I cannot recommend highly enough and can't wait for this author's next book!
June 26, 2023
Beautiful artwork and concept, but the storytelling didn’t work for me. I think others would connect to it very well though � personal taste.
February 12, 2024
vibes: immaculate
artwork: verdant
a book to read slowly and be sad
artwork: verdant
a book to read slowly and be sad
June 10, 2024
Blurb: Gorgeously illustrated in a painted palette of warmy, earthy tones, it is a quiet book of isolation, plants, confusion, acceptance, and the fog of childhood.
This graphic memoir is beautifully illustrated and is a lovely physical object. The author was raised by a mentally ill mother and recounts fragments of her childhood here. On a different day this might get an additional star.
This graphic memoir is beautifully illustrated and is a lovely physical object. The author was raised by a mentally ill mother and recounts fragments of her childhood here. On a different day this might get an additional star.
July 27, 2024
This is a book about a small girl and her garden dealing with grief and existing in her small world, her small beautiful world
So pretty, so sad and fully complete
So pretty, so sad and fully complete
February 23, 2025
“it looked like you would be back any minute, but also like you had never been real at all.�
a graphic novel about grief and complex mother-daughter relationships with beautiful illustrations.
a graphic novel about grief and complex mother-daughter relationships with beautiful illustrations.
September 24, 2024
Gorgeous art but felt too mysterious or light to be a memoir. Sorry I don’t want to gatekeep genres but I come away from this knowing almost nothing about the author. I assume that this was cathartic or otherwise therapeutic for her to make but it leaves me …nonplussed? She likes plants, has a sibling, and their mother was …absent, likely negligent, possibly ill? She might have forgiven or made some peace with her mother.
Read
February 26, 2024This was well done and I thought the non-people illustrations, and the colors, were pretty. I... didn't like it, which is fine, partially because the story seemed so painful of a child being somewhat abandoned due to a parent's severe mental illness.
December 24, 2023
The artwork was mesmerizing! The story itself? Less so. Perhaps I am not very interested in memoirs as it is and that is my main reason for not thoroughly enjoying this book, but I overall felt as if the story was so underwhelming that the artwork outdid it in almost every way. For people searching for an aesthetic, gorgeous graphic novel: This is your chance!! But overall, story-wise, this book is not very appealing in my opinion.
July 19, 2023
this book was a huge owie but in a beautiful way, i really connected with it on too personal of a level. some of the most beautiful artwork i have ever seen in a graphic novel!!
June 18, 2024
“You made life full and rich and sad, and complete�
Do you know when, even before knowing the story, the artwork of a graphic novel has already touched you because the protagonist’s eyes reflect something familiar, or because the colour palette awakens a certain feeling you recognise? That’s how it was with "Ephemera"—the artwork had already won me over before the story.
"Ephemera" tells us the author’s story, with few words, but these words are so intense they make you hold your breath.
Returning to the house where she grew up, she recalls an absent, ill mother and infinitely lonely days. She and her brother seemed to experience pain on completely different planes, perhaps due to their age difference and perception. Briana found magic in her mother's fleeting presences.
Earth, water, light. The plants that grow in the sun, those that live intensely in the shade, and others that crowd each other. The soil that isn’t always ready to absorb the water, and time that heals some wounds more easily than others.
This book is immensely beautiful and sad and will endure. The sorrows that build us, those castles with more or less solid foundations, are all transformed into lessons, tools, and perseverance. Even the most inhospitable environments give rise to life.
Do you know when, even before knowing the story, the artwork of a graphic novel has already touched you because the protagonist’s eyes reflect something familiar, or because the colour palette awakens a certain feeling you recognise? That’s how it was with "Ephemera"—the artwork had already won me over before the story.
"Ephemera" tells us the author’s story, with few words, but these words are so intense they make you hold your breath.
Returning to the house where she grew up, she recalls an absent, ill mother and infinitely lonely days. She and her brother seemed to experience pain on completely different planes, perhaps due to their age difference and perception. Briana found magic in her mother's fleeting presences.
Earth, water, light. The plants that grow in the sun, those that live intensely in the shade, and others that crowd each other. The soil that isn’t always ready to absorb the water, and time that heals some wounds more easily than others.
This book is immensely beautiful and sad and will endure. The sorrows that build us, those castles with more or less solid foundations, are all transformed into lessons, tools, and perseverance. Even the most inhospitable environments give rise to life.
July 11, 2023
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Critical Score: B+
Personal Score: B+
Incredibly brief and bare. I wanted more, but the minimalism is part of the vibe. Somber and defeated. Visually engaging (I’m not much of an art critic).
Took me about ten minutes to read, so I don’t have much to say. I’d read more from this artist!
Critical Score: B+
Personal Score: B+
Incredibly brief and bare. I wanted more, but the minimalism is part of the vibe. Somber and defeated. Visually engaging (I’m not much of an art critic).
Took me about ten minutes to read, so I don’t have much to say. I’d read more from this artist!
March 4, 2024
this made me cry at work
May 16, 2023
Such a beautiful book. I think my dad summed it up better than I can. “One of my most favorite books ever!!!! It is truly moving. And awesome!!!! Sophisticated timeless intellectual jewel that defines both art and soul!!!! So many levels of meaning.�
June 21, 2023
A graphic memoir with gorgeous artwork and poetic text. The author reflects on her childhood and relationship with her mother who was mentally ill and mostly absent from her life. It’s all tied together with botany, which resonates as a beautiful metaphor.
Read
July 11, 2023Timeless
January 7, 2025
“For my mum and other things that were not built to last.�
From the dedication page, Ephemera is a hauntingly beautiful illustrated story of a remembered childhood. Of the confusion and loneliness and loss felt while navigating a mostly absent mother’s melancholy, and the lasting effects this experience carries into adulthood. Of a shared connection surrounding plants and the earth and the healing found through helping things grow.
The three divided segments of dirt, water, and light lend to the overall theme. All three are important in the growing of not only plants, but people too. The division of color tones in the illustrations furthered the emotional impact of this story. The coolness of the past alongside the warmth of the future showed despair alongside hopefulness. Darkness next to light. The stress of not being able to remember specific advice that her mother gave her for certain plants is a strong reminder that often the memories we hold most dear are of the little things. The small moments and reminders that we cling to when remembering the past and those we’ve loved and lost.
From the dedication page, Ephemera is a hauntingly beautiful illustrated story of a remembered childhood. Of the confusion and loneliness and loss felt while navigating a mostly absent mother’s melancholy, and the lasting effects this experience carries into adulthood. Of a shared connection surrounding plants and the earth and the healing found through helping things grow.
The three divided segments of dirt, water, and light lend to the overall theme. All three are important in the growing of not only plants, but people too. The division of color tones in the illustrations furthered the emotional impact of this story. The coolness of the past alongside the warmth of the future showed despair alongside hopefulness. Darkness next to light. The stress of not being able to remember specific advice that her mother gave her for certain plants is a strong reminder that often the memories we hold most dear are of the little things. The small moments and reminders that we cling to when remembering the past and those we’ve loved and lost.
June 15, 2023
Oh wow. A very gripping and immensely atmospheric graphic memoir about an absent parent, a lonely but magical childhood, plants and gradening (both in a concrete and metaphoric sense)... Sad, silent, and pensive but tender and beautiful, too. Ethereal.
Loved the art and earthy colour palette.
So that’s essentially all to say I completely agree with the ŷ book description on this one. I only wish it would have been longer - the book was over in like ten minutes.
I happened to read this while sitting on a park bench which was just the right surroundings for it.
Came close to five stars.
Loved the art and earthy colour palette.
So that’s essentially all to say I completely agree with the ŷ book description on this one. I only wish it would have been longer - the book was over in like ten minutes.
I happened to read this while sitting on a park bench which was just the right surroundings for it.
Came close to five stars.
October 9, 2024
Beautiful graphics could stand alone as a reason to pick up this memoir about holding and hopefully healing childhood memories filled with confusion and love and sadness. People who have a complex relationship with their mother (or parents generally) or whose childhoods were impacted by parental mental health issues may find this particularly moving. I hope that Briana has a verdant and peaceful garden now and always.
March 7, 2024
A beautiful memoir filled with carefully created artwork to help tell the story of a woman’s relationship with her mother who struggled with mental illness throughout her childhood. Briana Loewinsohn explores how the weight of her mother’s absence greatly impacted her childhood.
Want to read
August 28, 2022Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss.
April 28, 2023
Another 2023 Fantagraphics title. Quietly devastating graphic memoir about loss, loneliness. You don’t get too much context but it doesn’t matter.
May 12, 2023
This is a book with very few words, but with great impact. This is a moving, poignant, powerful story. Beautiful book!
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