Vendor
	Liepman Literary Agency Marc Koralnik
Original language
English
Weblink
http://www.sofiaszamosi.net

UNRETOUCHABLE

Sofia Szamosi

A YA graphic novel about body image, social media, and the invisible forces that shape the way we think about ourselves.

Olive is spending the summer before college at a to-die-for internship: helping out the digital imaging specialist for a major fashion magazine. After attending a glamorous photoshoot, she learns that taking pictures is only the first step. Next, she spends time in the magazine's photo editing studio, learning the violent verbs (cut, crop, slice, lasso) of the industry software and discovering the process behind creating virtual modelscomplete digital illusions.

Soon Olive begins to fixate on her own appearance, ponder the ethics of this work behind the scenes, and even suspect that a popular Instagram influencer is a virtual creation. As her internship comes to a close, she'll try to get out of her own head, attempt to quit the internet, and find that the best way to celebrate yourself is by helping someone else.

Based on the author's own experiences, Unretouchable is a window into a little-known but hugely influential world and a tribute to self-acceptance.

Sofia Szamosi is an author and illustrator who makes graphic novels, zines and artists' books. A number of university libraries have added Sofia's work to their collections and her fine art has been shown in group
and solo shows in New York City, Chicago and Detroit. Her illustrations have been featured in publications such as Loose Threads, Sleek Magazine and Vice. She received her BA with honors from NYU's Gallatin School for Individualized Study in 2017. She is the illustrator for Whole Girl by Sadie Radinsky (Sounds True, forthcoming 2021). She now resides in Northampton, Massachusetts.

Available products
Book Published 2022-08-01 by Graphic Universe/Lerner

Comments

Editorial Molino

Unretouchable dives headlong into the complications of being a person in a world of nonstop images. Sofia's a constantly adventurous cartoonist, and she's created a story about the challenge of being authentically yourself--without ever losing her sense of humor.

Unretouchable perfectly utilizes the form to talk about the consequences of images and how they can be manipulated.

This tale pairs bold black-and-white art with text sharing Olive's deeply introspective musings. An appealing look at important issues.

[Szamosi] has a magical eye and voice. Her ability to take something classic and turn it on its head is something I had never seen before her work.

Soulful, playful, and full of heart, Unretouchable is a timeless coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of our modern, digital world. Szamosi has illustrated a narrative that is so visceral (and so relatable) that it invites a deeper understanding of readers' realitiespast, present, and future.

The black-and-white drawings contrast well with Szamosi's plot that grapples with the gray areas of contemporary life.

Szamosi employs witty narration and stark b&w ink to deliver a sincere, offbeat cautionary graphic novel of social media's pitfalls, including its effect on mental health and body image.

Written with empathy, wisdom, and humor, Unretouchable makes us feel heard and understood. I couldn't put it down!