Crushing

In a city bustling with crowds, two people feel alone. One is the picture of perseverance, always trying to make connections but awkwardness sometimes gets in the way. The other is never sure where to start or what to do and can get overwhelmed by superficial conversations. In the twists and turns of daily life, these two just might find each other.

3 Reasons to Read CRUSHING:

1.) The lovely illustration- CRUSHING uses a gray and red color scale. There is very little text in the story, and the illustrations do an incredible job of telling a story virtually without words. The expressions are simple and precise, and in every page, there are little details in the background to find and appreciate.

2.) The unique responses to loneliness: The two protagonists are both lonely, but they have entirely different responses to it. Burrows captures the way loneliness plays out in their respective lives and the different challenges loneliness brings them. I particularly appreciated the way the illustrations show the character with red hair being overloaded by the small talk around them. In addition, there are some scenes where they're feeling lonely and something small happens, like a bird flies by or a person smiles, and you can see how that feeling allowed them to slow down enough to appreciate small moments of connection.

3.) The power of timing: The two characters sit at the same restaurant earlier in the story, but neither makes a direct move to connect. Both were searching for connection from the beginning of the story, but neither seemed to be in the right place to reach out to the other. It isn't until one learns to take a leap and the other learns to laugh that the spark is really kindled.

CRUSHING is a sweet, aching story of loneliness and the small ways connection can transform someone.