The lie and how we told it

In lovingly painted pages of comics art, with black and white intermissions, Australian cartoonist Parrish tells a deceptively simple story of friends grown apart, who run into one another by chance and spend an evening catching up. Cleary and Tim bump into each other at a grocery check-out and reconnect. Over the course of the evening, as much is concealed as is revealed, but what is left at the end is the stark understanding that, at the threshold of adulthood, one person has made emotionally honest choices and the other struggles with his sexuality and with his own heart. Interwoven with this gorgeously colored tale is another, more austere story, an illustrated novella drawn in satisfyingly precise black line, attributed to "Blumf Mcqueen" and dedicated to "pure, unconditional, everlasting love." This orchestration and interplay of refined visual language is never overworked. Lovers of fine art comics will delight in this worthy discovery. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Cleary and Tim are old friends who meet by chance while Cleary is working in a grocery store. After her shift, they spend the afternoon drinking, wandering, and discussing their pasts and futures. Although the friendship seems to pick up where it left off, both have changed. Meanwhile, Cleary finds a novella that details the relationship between a stripper and a suburban father. The obvious differences between the characters in the book form a surprising parallel to the growing divide between Cleary and Tim. The artwork is stylized and suits the youthful melancholy of the narrative: figures are distorted with large bodies and limbs and smaller heads, while faces are simplified, and emotions are portrayed through subtle shifts in position and composition. Although the panels are painted in lush hues, they have a sketchy quality that conveys the feeling of being slightly unfinished. Verdict Parrish (Perfect Hair) explores friendship, sexuality, and self-disclosure in this story that may feel contrived to many readers; however, moments of emotional honesty will resonate with those looking for graphic novels focused on LGBTQIA themes.-E.W. Genovese, Andrew Bayne Memorial Lib., Pittsburgh © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.