Review: Quiet Girl in a Noisy World: An Introvert's Story by Debbie Tung

Sweet, funny, and quietly poignant, Debbie Tung’s comics reveal the ups and downs of coming of age as an introvert.

This illustrated gift book of short comics illuminates author Debbie Tung's experience as an introvert in an extrovert’s world. Presented in a loose narrative style that can be read front to back or dipped into at one’s leisure, the book spans three years of Debbie's life, from the end of college to the present day. In these early years of adulthood, Debbie slowly but finally discovers there is a name for her lifelong need to be alone: she’s an introvert.

The first half of the book traces Debbie’s final year in college: socializing with peers, dating, falling in love (with an extrovert!), moving in, getting married, meeting new people, and simply trying to fit in. The second half looks at her life after graduation: finding a job, learning to live with her new husband, trying to understand social obligations when it comes to the in-laws, and navigating office life. Ultimately, Quiet Girl sends a positive, pro-introvert message: our heroine learns to embrace her introversion and finds ways to thrive in the world while fulfilling her need for quiet.

-- Goodreads.com description --

First of all, I want to thank the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with an arc copy of Quiet Girl in a Noisy World.

I identify myself as an introvert and that's the main reason I wanted to pick this book up. My uncle recently said at a family gathering that his daughter is an introvert and he wishes she weren't. That rubbed me the wrong way. Being an introvert is in no way inferior to being extravert. That's the other reason I read this graphic novel.

Quiet Girl in a Noisy World reads like a graphic novel memoir about Debbie Tung's experiences as an introvert. Her illustrations of a "social battery" perfectly portray how I feel about socializing and needing some alone time. Tung is able to explain how introverts experience things in a simple way while still keeping this a personal account of own.

I really liked Debbie Tung's art style, it's simple with mostly grey colours and the illustrations are beautiful.

The comic is made up of short chapters which are only a page or two long. I didn't mind this as it did follow a complete storyline throughout the comic.

I gave Quiet Girl in a Noisy World 4 stars! I identified with a couple of things but definitely not everything. I think this gives a well-rounded view on being an introvert and I highly recommend it to everyone!