Katie Fricas’s Checked Out is a meta graphic novel that follows Louise, a twenty-something aspiring cartoonist who is creating her own graphic novel about Cher Ami, the celebrated World War I carrier pigeon credited with saving a battalion of U.S. Army soldiers. While working as a page in a private library, Louise navigates the ebbs and flows of the creative process, drawing inspiration not only from the library’s extensive WWI archives, but also from her often-chaotic urban experiences. This slice-of-life story vividly portrays her artistic struggles and personal growth, set against the vibrant and intense backdrop of New York City.

Louise is a bibliophile with a lifelong devotion to libraries, even if she bristles at epigraphs, epistolary novels, and italicized opening paragraphs. After she is hired at the library, she delights in its very smell, which she describes as “notes of bergamot, amber, musk, a touch of sweetness, mildew, the tang of time like fine perfume.” She takes a mischievous pleasure in overriding the library system’s warning that she has exceeded her book-borrowing limit to glean just the right information for her graphic novel. She also relishes finding trinkets left behind in books — a Paris metro ticket, a postcard of JFK, and a two of hearts. After working a short time as a page, Louise discovers that the real action lies at the circulation desk. She is able to cover for others in this coveted position where she can talk all day long about books, answer interesting reference questions, and meet the regular patrons. She also learns the intricacies of the Dewey Decimal System, though she finds Dewey himself to be a weirdo — not only racist and sexist but also oddly obsessed with pruning words of any “extraneous” letters. At one point, he even wrote his own name as Dui. The library is where Louise thrives, and it fuels her enthusiasm for her work-in-progress.

But at the beginning of the story, like many young artists, Louise works in a dead-end job at a shoe store alongside Wanda, her co-worker and secret lover, a bi-tease who is ostensibly married, and who insists that kissing on a bridge doesn’t count as cheating. The reader also meets Louise’s roommate, Cam, who works as a dog walker and sitter, and her bestie, Joey, a rock star who was once dumped by her girlfriend at a place called Mr. Dumpling. Louise’s dating prospects are nonexistent until fellow library employee, Anthony, insists that she get on a dating app. Louise relents and goes on some cringe-worthy dates. Then she meets Gus, a trans chef, who brightens her life — until they don’t. The people in Louise’s life help her make sense of the world, but also introduce her to new challenges that aren’t always easy to negotiate.

Checked Out is a richly layered romp with dynamic illustrations that capture the frenetic pace of New York City — from the stately buildings and manicured landscaping on the Upper East Side to the gritty shops, subway stations, and streets closer to Louise’s apartment. The author uses simple washes of green, purple, and blue to set apart flashbacks from the main narrative thread. Fricas’ naïve illustrations, rendered in bold watercolour and marker, may initially come across as messy, but this distinctive style is the cartoonist’s hallmark and will eventually win the reader over. Her writing shines with clarity and wit, complementing her illustrations.

Humour and fun abound in Checked Out, but it also serves up some thought-provoking questions. Like most of us, Louise struggles with creative doubt, social anxiety, and romantic waffling, which form the backbone of the narrative. Her journey shows that true growth comes from facing adversity and learning to let go – something Louise ultimately achieves. This debut graphic novel was a joy to read, and I would gladly read it again.mRb