Judith Vanistendael

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2672701.html

I'm always on the lookout for good Flemish graphic novels, given that Belgium's tradition is generally strong and not entirely Francophone, and I think this counts as a decent find. De maagd en de neger comes in two parts, the first telling the story from the point of view of the father of Flemish student Sofie of his unhappy accommodation to her relationship with Togolese refugee Abou, and the second with Sofie, years later, telling her side of the show more same story to Leentje, her daughter by a later relationship. Of course, it's a white-people-talking-about-black-people story, but it's tenderly observed for all that. Sofie's father's personal journey is particularly affecting, and I always like stories where the same events are viewed from two different perspectives, getting two very different answers. show less

A graphic novel about chronic illness? Sign me up. The watercolors in this book do an amazing job at conveying the sudden lack of definition when confronted with dire news from a medical professional. I was never entirely sure about the relationship between some of the characters, but that just felt like the book was forcing me to identify what was important versus what was not when facing David's diagnosis. The juxtaposition between David's reactions and his youngest daughter's really show more highlight the change in understanding of life and death as a person moves from childhood through adulthood. The silence from David was palpable in the artwork and text, though the ending was a bit puzzling for me, and it made me question if I really understood his relation to the female characters in the story. show less

Made me weep.
One of those books that makes me think I should mark down all the ratings I've given to other graphic novels because there is a whole lot of extra depth to this story.

Sometimes I feel that I read graphic novels too quickly. This is a very sad and moving account of cancer. The images are amazing.