Invisible Differences – A Story of Autism, Adulting, and Living Life in Full Color

by Janet Chan

Content advisory: nonconsensual sexual contact, There is one occurrence of domestic violence when Marguerite is attacked by an acquaintance. National Domestic Violence Hotline in the United States is 800-799-7233; text 988; or use this weblink, https://www.thehotline.org/. In Canada use https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/health-promotion/stop-family-violence/services.html. In the UK use https://www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk/. And elsewhere in the world, one could use https://www.nomore.org/the-no-more-global-directory/, https://www.domesticshelters.org/resources/national-global-organizations/international-organizations, or https://www.theamieffect.com/global-directory-of-abuse-helplines/.

Daryl Hannah. Dan Aykroyd. Josef Schovanec. Susan Boyle. Temple Grandin. What do these people have in common? They are all named as fellow “auties” in Julie Danchez’ s graphic novel, Invisible Differences. Originally published in French in 2016, this graphic novel was translated to English in 2020. The novel introduces us to Marguerite and traverses three years of her adult life (ages 27-30) from pre-autism diagnosis to post-autism diagnosis.

The novel begins with Marguerite going about her routine scheduled life: visiting the café and bakery, going to work, returning home. Marguerite is surrounded by people who do not understand her, and she struggles with social cues and connections. This leads to her coworkers gossiping about her, arguments with her boyfriend, and strain on her relationship with her sister. In one disastrous scene, Marguerite goes to her neighbor’s apartment to give him a Spanish lesson. He makes an unwanted sexual advance and then yells at her when she rejects it. After this situation and an anxiety riddled road trip with her boyfriend, she makes another effort to find answers to her anxiety.

After searching for answers online, trying different therapists, and getting an evaluation, Marguerite finally gets an answer- autism. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition with a wide variety of presenting symptoms (CDC, 2025a). People with ASD may avoid eye contact, have repetitive behaviors or obsessive interests, or be nonverbal. They may not pick up on social cues or they may struggle with social interactions (CDC, 2024). As of 2022, approximately 1 in 31 children have been diagnosed with ASD (CDC,2025b). Post diagnosis, Marguerite gradually starts making changes in her life starting with finding a support network and ultimately embarking on a career change.

The novel was illustrated by Mademoiselle Caroline. She helps readers experience Marguerite’s world by depicting both the chaos and predictability in her environment. Marguerite’s commute is scheduled and routine illustrated by the exact times that occur along her route. At work, she is highly sensitive to the noises that surround her. Mademoiselle Caroline illustrates the noise with red writing that fills the spaces around Marguerite. Her escape is in the bathroom where the noises subside. She can return to work refreshed. We see her problems with social connection illustrated. When Marguerite attends a party, music notes float in the air around her and speech bubbles fill the remaining space while she gradually disappears into the background (p38-39).

This novel offers a perspective of someone who is trying to navigate a world built for neurotypical people and finding her way. The struggles are realistic, but the ending is optimistic overall. The end of the book contains more information and resources about ASD. The book was published in 2020, so the references are only up to date as of the publication.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025a). About autism spectrum disorder. https://www.cdc.gov/autism/about/index.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025b). Data and statistics on autism spectrum disorder. https://www.cdc.gov/autism/data-research/index.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Signs and symptoms of autism spectrum disorder. https://www.cdc.gov/autism/signs-symptoms/index.html

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Janet Chan, MLIS, AHIP, RN is a research and education librarian at the University of South Florida Health Libraries. Her research areas include bibliotherapy, graphic medicine, and digital health.