When I picked this up from the library, I had some preconceived notion that it would be more along the lines of Bloom than what it ended up being. I’m not sure why I thought this. They did often appear on Best (LGBT+) Graphic Novels of 2019 lists together, but that shouldn’t really have made me think they’d be as similar as I thought they would be.
I was drawn to the illustration style on the cover as the limited use of colors reminded me of Bloom and the illustration style reminded me of Alison Bechdel’s style in Fun Home (or maybe it’s just the glasses on Lou?). Walden’s story follows Bea as she’s running away from home, we’re not told why at the beginning and Lou, a distant family friend doesn’t ask any questions. A random cat shows up (Diamond) and then the story gets really weird, like magical realism weird. [SPOILERS after the jump, including the recommendation.]
I’m not even going to pretend to understand who the Office of Road Inquiry are, but I’d maybe say a stand in for the super intense emotions both are experiencing? As Bea and Lou begin to openly discuss why they’ve left town, the colors and scenery becomes darker and more extreme.
In the middle of Bea’s coming out to Lou, a very serious prelude the other serious scenes to come, Walden included the perfect moment of levity with the scene to the right. I mean what closeted or newly out, or hell LGBT+ person in general, hasn’t asked how you’re supposed to know who is or isn’t interested in you? And when Bea asks that exact question, Lou’s response to make “very deliberate, very gay eye contact,” was the perfect tension breaker. Not only did it ease the tension of Lou and Bea’s conversation (you can see Bea convulsing in awkwardness just to the right of the photo—and the next few frames were smuttier suggestions), but it provided a turning point for the graphic novel.
After this, the book gets really dark. We learn about Lou’s sad childhood and the death of her mother, and we’re told about Bea being sexually assaulted by a cousin for years. It’s at this point that the colors of the paint/ink and the locations of the story change to darker and more dramatic until the end of the story. After both Lou and Bea come to terms with what’s happened and their new friendship (as much as they can in such a short novel) via the traumatic experience of being chased off the road into a lake(?) in a surreal car chase, a new day actually dawns with the colors returning and the weight seemingly lifted from them.
I’m not sure where the story goes, but we don’t need to know that. Lou and Bea part as friends with the shared bonding of their trauma and their weird experience. They seem to be on parallel journeys, just a little staggered.
Recommendation: For a work that touches on such difficult and complex subjects (death, sexual assault, and coming out to name a few) in such a constrained medium, this was an incredibly powerful and moving work—it’s my first five star review on Goodreads this year. Walden’s use of color to portray the dramatic West Texas landscape and the dramatic emotions Bea and Lou uncover during their unexpected car journey was masterful. I wasn’t sold on the magical realism, it kind of caught me off guard, but on a second read through it just works. And even though it’s been a few days since I read it, as I write this, I’m amazed at how much of an emotional wallop Walden’s illustrations and choice dialogue had.
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