Everything Amplified, written by Ziggy Hanaor and Sarah Lippett, is a YA graphic novel that captures the throbbing chaos of adolescence. It’s that stage in life where music seems to voice what you are unable to, where friendships shift quickly like sand, and where family can feel both like home and a trap.
Our protagonist, Nelly, is a 15-year-old battling the noise of school, exams, and a family that seems to see straight through her. Her twin brother Ludo is everything she isn’t — loud, confident, and adored both at home and school. And so Nelly turns to music. Through songs and bands and playlists she builds her inner world.
The book is threaded with this love of sound showing how a bassline can steady you when everything else feels uncertain, or a lyric can articulate what you can’t bring yourself to say. Lippett and Hanaor display their deep understanding of the teen world through Nelly’s idolisation of bands, her longing to belong to something bigger than yourself, the feeling of being unheard, and the angst of family misunderstandings.
Lippett’s previous work, Stan and Nan was a gorgeous and poignant reflection on family and relationships based on her own maternal grandparents. She repeats her magic here with art that amplifies the emotional undercurrent beautifully. The loose, expressive lines and soft, grainy palette mirror Nelly’s turmoil. The handwriting-style font adds an intimacy to the story, as though we’re flipping through Nelly’s journal.
However, the strength of the book lies in its honesty. Lippett and Hanaor don’t treat teenage confusion as something to be solved, but as something to be understood. For instance, the tension between Nelly and Ludo is a complicated mix of resentment, love, and rivalry, which feels painfully real. The adults in her life, from her distracted mother to her enigmatic Aunt Jan, are flawed and, therefore, recognisable.
The authors have also added little touches of sweetness like snippets of biographies of the artists appearing in Nelly’s playlist at the end of the book and a QR code to access all the songs mentioned in the story (and yes, it’s a fantastic playlist!).
Everything Amplified is beautifully observed, sharply written, and excellently illustrated. And it has a heartfulness that can be keenly appreciated by both teens and adults alike.
Sarah Lippett & Ziggy Hanaor (W), Sarah Lippett (A) • Cicada Books, £18.99
Buy online from Gosh! Comics here
Review by Swati Nair
