This book is a graphic novel which tells a love story between two characters, without missing comedy elements.
Thus, this work of contemporary Spanish literature can be classified within the narrative genre of the graphic novel, and subclassified within the sub-genre of slice of life as a romantic comedy.
This is a fourth edition released by Norma Editorial, which is an independent Spanish publisher specialised in comics and illustrated books, as well as a reference in manga. This book is available in English language.
- Publication date: 2021
- Country: Spain
- Pages: 152
- Reading date: January 2023
- Rating: 4.5/5
The author is Jordi Lafebre (Barcelona, 1979-). He is an illustrator and graphic designer trained at the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Barcelona, as well as a cartoonist at the Joso school. He began publishing illustrations in 2001.
His other published books are:
- La anciana que nunca jugó al tenis y otros relatos que sientan bien (2009)
- Lydie (2010)
- Vice squad (2014)
- Glorious summers (2015)
Within the list of other books published by the author, those for which there is already a post in this blog are highlighted.
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I don’t usually read books from the romantic comedy genre, but this one in particular was a gift from one of the most special people in my life. She saw it some time ago in a bookshop and thought I would like it, but we had only known each other for a short time and she told herself that it would be a too «cheesy» gift. Luckily and by chance she came across it again a few months later and this time she dared to give it to me.
As soon as I saw it, I was thrilled. The drawing style, the colour palette and the facial features of the characters conveyed a lot of sweetness and warmth. The design of the cover seemed creative to me as soon as I saw it. Then I started to leaf through it and discovered that the story told in this graphic novel is narrated backwards, that is, the beginning is the end of the story. But… what is the story about?
Ana and Zeno are two lovers who at the beginning of the book are elderly and it seems that after a long and eventful life, they finally start a relationship together. From then on, their lives, their encounters and their longings are narrated in reverse order of events, from when they are finally together as old people to the end of the book, which shows how they met for the first time when they were young. I found this reverse order of unfolding the plot of the story very original in this genre. Somehow, it gives a different understanding of the characters and it is as if instead of constructing them as the story progresses, it deconstructs them little by little to their essence.
«A long time ago, the Moon and the Earth each had their own trajectory. One day, they crossed paths and attracted each other, but neither managed to stop. They continued on their course, each exerting its attraction on the other. And the forces combined, so much so that the Moon began to revolve around the Earth, again and again. Although they never managed to meet, their paths are forever linked. It’s their way of being together. If they collided, they’d make quite a mess».
Zeno
Although the novel delves more deeply into both protagonists, their characters are not merely constructed on the basis of their relationship with each other. It is true that their relationship is the central thread of the story, but it does not «drown out» the other bonds that Ana and Zeno establish with the elements and people of their individual and separate worlds. Thus, as readers, we remain attentive to how their love unfolds over time, without missing nuances of the way both lovers are in other contexts. In fact, each one lives his or her own life, connects with different people and fulfils his or her destiny. Despite this physical and vital separation of both characters, the story shows us that, as they never stopped loving each other, fate brings them together in their old age to walk together.
«Inevitable, but impossible. Separated by infinity. United by the horizon. There where parallel lines meet at last. One day, maybe, always»
Zeno
The central theme, which is love, is treated with great naturalness and sweetness, without ignoring the difficulties which life can present us with. I appreciate reading stories like this, which are a breath of fresh air, which are simple to read and which bring coziness, without forgetting to make us reflect. Those are my favourites, those whose simplicity is not without depth.
Thank you for this fabulous gift, I enjoyed it very much. I will read more of Jordi Lafebre in the future.
«Don’t be afraid to love, my boy. A heart that does not love is a light that does not travel».
«Romeo»
Some reflections:
- What do you think about showing elderly characters engaging in a romantic relationship in a story?
- How is the sexuality of the elderly mainly represented in our society? Why do you think this is the case? Is it realistic? What consequences does it have on this population?
- Can long-distance love last, and what does it depend on?
- Does loving a person imply exclusivity, or are there different ways of loving?
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