The Truth Commission by Susan JubyThere is a saying that the truth will set you free, but sometimes that truth comes with a price. Normandy, Neil and Dusk (who’s real name is Dawn) are art students at the Green Pastures Academy in Nanaimo, BC and they decide to ask their classmates some truth seeking questions. As they probe their peers, they uncover truths that they may not have been expecting, not only about their targets, but also about themselves. All of this truth seeking starts a domino effect throughout the school and the student body comes clean in different ways with both positive and negative results. The hardest truth to uncover is about what happened to Normandy’s famous sister, Keira. Keira, a published graphic novelist has mysteriously returned from college and has shut herself away from everyone. It doesn’t help that Normandy’s parents are in denial about any issues that Keira’s novels have wrought upon the family – the graphic novel characters bear a striking, yet unflattering resemblance to Normandy and her parents. In trying to uncover what has happened to Keira, Normandy is forced to face some unpleasant truths of her own, but with the support of Neil, Dusk, and some unlikely allies, she develops the strength needed to carry on.The writing style is engaging, written in Normandy’s voice, in the format of her final project for class. The tales of the truth commission are dotted with Normandy’s own wit and observations, often in the form of amusing footnotes to her teacher. Juby pulls you right into the story and you find yourself caring for and rooting for the characters as they find out truths about themselves and each other.