Vergiss mich nicht

by Alix Garin

La grand-mère de Clémence souffre de la maladie d'Alzheimer. Face à son désespoir, elle prend la décision de l'enlever de la maison de retraite et de prendre la route en quête de l'hypothétique maison d'enfance de sa mamie. Une fuite, une quête, un égarement, l'occasion de se retrouver ? À moins que ce ne soit plutôt des adieux...

Genres: Bande Dessinée, Graphic Novels, Comics, LGBT, France, Contemporary, Graphic Novels Comics

Hardcover

First published January 15, 2021

About the author

Alix Garin was born in 1997 in Belgium. Her future career as a graphic novelist emerged very early on, and she plunged straight into comics art studies after high school. In 2017, she won the Young Talent prize at the Quai des Bulles festival in Saint Malo. In 2018, fresh out of her studies, she moved to Brussels and was hired by the Cartoonbase agency. At the same time, she began writing Ne M'oublie pas (Forget Me Not), a highly personal story published by Le Lombard in 2021 (published in English by Europe Comics, 2021).

Reviews

[ally]

second book to ever make me sob

owies

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Well...that was intense.)

This was such an intense read for me and I was able to quite connect with the characters on a deeper level.

I do keep wondering about what would happen to my parents getting older after I leave home to set up my own home.

I can feel the dilemma of the characters when they don't have the best choices even when they want to have the best of their ageing parents or grandparents.

This graphic novel has set a level regarding the artstyle, the art sequence, the storytelling, character portrayal and it's deep meaningful illustrations.

The message is loud and clear. The little suspense that played a part made the story more perfect.

For some readers, some parts of nudity may be uncomfortable.

Overall, this is the best graphic novel I have read so far this year.

[not my high · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moja recenzja: 🥹😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

[ReadAlongWithSue recovering from a stroke★⋆. ࿐࿔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twitter |
Goodreads |
Blog |
Instagram |



Such a sad but also exhilarating book to read.

The graphics within are colourful and depict each step of the way as the story unfolds and the emotions on faces really draws you in.

Clemence has personal issues of his own. This becomes more apparent as I got through the story.


Her Grandmother is in a nursing home.

I could relate to this young person on all levels and I’m an adult.
It’s difficult to resign yourself in the first place that the person with Alzheimer’s will be safer in a specialised home that cater for their needs let alone visiting and finding out they hate it there.

As an adult, I knew that was going to happen and part of the illness, and encouraging them that you will return.

But Clemence is upset for her Grandmother. How could her Mother leave her in there. It’s just not right.

So one day he hijacks her out of the nursing home.

The adventure they go on is so well depicted in the drawings.

Sad but happy ending.

[Kay ☾ · Rating 5 out of 5]

All this graphic novel did was made me miss my Nana. I really got sucked into this found myself about to cry a few times. Such raw emotion captured in this. Great plot, good imagery, and the queer representation was a plus as well. Not going to lie, I need to watch some Disney movies to get happy again. This hit me in all the feels.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[madame Gabrielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow, wow, wow et wow encore. cette bande-dessinée et cette histoire sont ce pourquoi j’aime tellement lire des BD et lire de tout tout le temps. c’est cette histoire, c’est Clémence et c’est Mamy Marie-Louise. j’ai pleuré ma vie et j’ai trouvé l’histoire absolument bien racontée. tout ce qui touche à la famille, ça vient chaque fois me chercher et me renverser. dépêchez-vous de mettre la main sur cet album, vous ne le regretterez pas ❤️

[domduclos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ne m'oublie pas c'est à la fois doux et douloureux. C'est magnifique, tout comme c'est malheureux. J'en ai pleuré. Cette bd c'est plus qu'un livre, c'est un chef d'oeuvre. C'est aussi la plus belle bd que j'ai eu la chance de lire! Je vous recommande cette lecture qui, sans l'ombre d'un doute, vous plaira 💖

[Rosh ~catching up slowly~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want to see a visual and emotional representation of what Alzheimer's does to a person, this is the book to read.

Clémence is a young student who is dealing with her personal issues as well as the fact that her beloved grandmother's Alzheimer's seems to be worsening. To make her grandma happy one last time, Clémence décidés to take her on a road trip to the coast, to her childhood home. But a roadtrip with an Alzheimer's sufferer isn't easy. Add to this the complication that Clémence doesn't take permission from the nursing home before embarking on the journey with their patient. The journey shows an entire range of emotions and ultimately proves that the bond between family is stronger than any other.

The story is written in a gripping and intense manner. You will feel the tug at your heartstrings at the connection between Clémence and her grandma. One line that the grandmother says really stuck in my heart: "Too late arrives sooner than we think." How true is that!

The script of this graphic novel goes by very quickly. Many pages contain only sketches without any dialogues. So you don't even realise when the 224 pages are done. But I'm not really sure how I feel about the ending of the story. That turn of events was too disturbing for my liking, though it did make sense within the context of the story.

The illustrations are quite simplistic and keep your focus on the plot and feelings rather than being distractions. Some text in the background illustrations of the English version were still in French. It would be better to translate even those to English.

Some of the graphic panels contain complete nudity. (Mentioning this point just in case some readers are particular about nudity in graphic novels. Nothing sexual though.)

Thank you, NetGalley and Europe Comics, for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.


***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever! , for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.

Follow me on Instagram: RoshReviews

[Juliette Jahm · Rating 5 out of 5]

J’ai chouiné comme toujours, car le travail d’Alix est juste incroyable. Elle arrive à être simple et à donner énormément à la fois, dans une honnêteté et une justesse sublimement humaine.
Dans ce livre elle enlève sa mamie d’une maison de retraite où celle-ci, atteinte d’alzheimer, croupit dans l’indifférence la plus totale.
Le road trip pour la mener à sa maison d’enfance se transforme en un petit conte initiatique où dans les lambeaux de souvenirs, le deux se retrouvent de part et d’autre de leur vie.

À lire pour plein de beauté dans l’âme,
Que diable !

[Maritina Mela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clemence's grandmother is suffering from dementia and is currently in a health care facility because her daughter and grand-daughter cannot care for her. Even tho Clemence visits her regularly, she can tell that her grandmother's health is getting worse. She however remains determined to care for her and when her mother agrees to have her put on medication that will essentially get her to sleep all day, Clemence decides to step in and save her grandmother.

I will have to restrain myself from writing about everything that goes on in the story because I really think you should read this without knowing much.

I can say though that is is a beautifully written and illustrated story about family, about caring for a sick relative, childhood innocence, death and dealing with previous trauma.

As Clemence travels with her grandmother to her parents' old home, since it is one of the few things she can still remember, she looks back upon her life, the years she spent with her grandparents, the relationship with her mother, her coming to terms with her sexuality and her struggle to become and actress. As the journey progresses, she goes to extreme lengths to protect and care for her grandmother and does things she didn't know she was capable of. And once the journey is over, Clemence comes on the other side stronger, with a new found appreciation for life.

As for the character of the grandmother, Marie Louise, what can I say, she is lovely. She has lost so many of her memories and is confined in a hospital bed, but she still manages to hold on to things she can still remember (her relationship with Clemence being one of those things) and throughout the whole story, she delivers some of the deepest and heart breaking lines, even tho mostly by accident.

You have no idea how many times I had to pause reading this because I was crying so hard. It's been many years since a book made me cry like this.
I mean, I knew what I was getting into, but damn. I'm glad no one walked in on me reading this.

If I have to be completely honest however, there are some things that I would have changed, had I been an editor or was about to adapt this for the big screen.
There were some stuff in the second half that could have been avoided. Both character-wise and story-wise. First of all, the animal cruelty was so uncalled for. I know some may say that Clemece running over a deer with her car and having the baby deer sleeping by its mother's dead body, is a symbolism for the relationship with her own mother, but I am sure there were better ways to potray that.

Secondly, Clemence did some very questionable things. For example, she left her grandmother alone in a motel, so that she could have sex with a girl who lived next door. And what did she got from that? She got robbed. Because of course, who could have seen that comin'?
And that led to her gambling and getting her ass kicked in a bar after the loser refused to give her the money she won (her grandmother was hit too, although not as severely) and near the end, she also lost control of her car, which almost caused Marie Louise's death. I know our main character is supposed to be young and make mistakes but I think she ought to have been a little smarter.

And lastly, I didn't like how the grandmother died.
Make no mistake, I was 100% sure she was going to die. But I disagree with the way the author chose to do it.
So, I mentioned above how Clemence's goal was to take her grandma to the house she was born in, in order to help her remember. Well, when they finally arrive, we see that the house is very very close to the edge of a cliff and can barely stand. Marie Louise meets her end when she opens the door and walks in, with the house getting torn apart and falling down. I would have prefered to see a less violent ending, one which offered more closure. For example, why not have the two main characters reach their destination, reflect on their lives and have the poor grandma dying in her sleep after telling her grand daughter how much she meant to her? Plus, Clemence seemed oddly calm when she was talking to the police. And by that, I mean oddly calm for someone who had witnessed her grandmother falling off of a cliff.

I am still choosing to give this 5/5 though, despite having its imperfections.
What can I say, I like books that have a good story, strong messages and help me feel deep emotions, you know what I'm saying?

If you made it this far, congratulations!
'Til next time, take care :) :) :)

I received a free e-book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Dans le monde de Mme Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Non non non. Ouch, j’ai mal. J’ai envie de partir en voyage avec ma grand-mère. J’ai envie de serrer ma mère dans mes bras. Ouf, pas une lecture facile, mais une lecture si belle également. C’est magnifique, c’est puissant, c’est touchant. À lire avec une boîte de mouchoirs assurément

[Ana Medeiros · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Tarde demais chega mais depressa do que imaginamos" 💛

[Booksandcappuccino · Rating 5 out of 5]

J’ai le coeur gros! Ce livre est une giga perle!! ❤️

[Lire.Papier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jamais pleuré autant pour un livre 😭😭❤️❤️❤️ coup de coeur !

[Mathilde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coup de coeur pour cette BD !! Elle est tellement belle, autant sentimentalement que graphiquement.
L'histoire m'a touché, j'ai été très émue par ma lecture.
Je ne m'attendais pas à cette fin, un point m'a laissé septique, mais le reste est tellement attendrissant que je l'ai vite mis de côté.

[Urbon Adamsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some books, you know you are going to love just by looking at the cover and title. This is one of those cases.

In the first 15-20 pages I'm already struggling to hold my tears. Getting old sucks. Looking at Clémence's Grandma being left behind like an old rag in an institution that looks at human beings as cattle waiting for their last breath is just too sad.

But unfortunately, it's a reality. Our busy way of life doesn't leave us time or energy to dedicate to these situations that require expertise and professional following. It's a difficult situation to be in.

The story is beautiful. Clémence tries to give her Grandma a last good experience and that takes them through a great adventure. Clémence is a brave woman. Not many people would have the capacity to do what she did, and to be honest, many times she tiptoes between bravery and stupidity.

Get ready to cry! The art is beautiful. Suites the story perfectly.

At the end, after the rollercoaster of emotions, I couldn't help but to release all I felt through the story.

Nature is cruel. Life is suffering. It's what we do with it and those that we love and love us that make everything worth it.

A great release by ASA.

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Estilhaçou-me o coração!...

NOTA - 10/1o

[dee (andie) 🕺🏼✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

* e-ARC provided through NetGalley *

this was absolutely stunning.

everything about this graphic novel was beautiful, from the art style to the story, to the characters and their struggles. I suspected I'd cry after reading this, from the reviews, the cover, and the description, but I underestimated how much.

I love books that are so poetically breathtaking that just the beauty in them makes me emotional. while that wasn't only the case here, it was a big part of it. there's so much beauty in these 230 pages, and reading it was an unforgettable emotional rollercoaster.

the characters in this novel were phenomenal. they had depth and many sides to them, that I adored discovering. the storyline was unpredictable and perfectly woven together. the ending absolutely wrecked me in the best way possible.

I don't know what else to say to do this book justice, but you'd be doing yourself a favor by adding it to your to be read list.

[Joana Alves | Juca Mindscape · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Tarde demais” chega mais depressa do que imaginamos. 🥺

Que livro bonito, sobre o amor, sobre a vida, sobre a família, sobre quem somos no mais íntimo de nós, sobre perdão, sobre luto, sobre seguir em frente, sem nunca esquecer o que realmente importa.
Mas acima de tudo, sobre nunca guardarmos o que temos para dizer, sobretudo quando se tratar daquilo que sentimos por quem amamos. 🫂

[Leonor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beleza desta obra começa logo no título, “Não me esqueças”, o qual tem a ver com a temática mas também com a flor com o mesmo nome. O abraço entre neta e avó, na capa, também é enternecedor e ainda nem abrimos o livro.

“Subitamente, irão desaparecer milhares de palavras que serviram para nomear as coisas, os rostos das pessoas, as acções e os sentimentos, para ordenar o mundo, para fazer bater o coração e humedecer o sexo."
Annie Ernaux, Os Anos, 2008

A avó de Clémence, Marie-Louise, sofre de Alzheimer e está num lar onde se sente bastante infeliz.
Clémence foi criada pela avó e tem uma ligação muito próxima com ela.
A avó fala muito sobre a casa de infância e os pais estarem à espera dela. Marie-Louise quer regressar onde se lembra que se sentiu bem, onde foi o seu verdadeiro lar. Movida pelo impulso e amor que tem pela avó, vendo as circunstâncias e o desespero em que a mesma se encontra, Clémence decide tirar a idosa do lar e efetuar uma fuga fazendo uma viagem até à hipotética casa que tanto a avó menciona.

"- Sabes qual foi a última coisa que a minha mãe me disse?
- Não.
- "Marie-Louise, dá um beijo ao mar por mim." Sempre que vejo o mar, penso nela e nesta frase.
- Sabes que mais avó? E se lá fôssemos mesmo? Dar um beijo ao mar?"

Esta viagem, para além de geográfica, é igualmente uma viagem introspectiva, ao passado, a mágoas e uma aprendizagem. Uma avó que Clémence não quer deixar partir, mesmo em vida, e que faz de tudo para a entender, para ir ao seu encontro, um combate contra a doença que vai trazendo um luto ainda em vida mas cada alegria e lembrança da avó são celebrações e motivos de esperança. Uma ligação profunda de amor mesmo com uma doença a interferir na relação entre elas.

"Será que um dia acordamos convencidos de que somos a melhor versão possível de nós mesmos?"

Esta é uma novela gráfica sobre laços familiares, aqueles que estão presentes e aqueles que se julgavam esquecidos.

Lembra, igualmente, a importância de não deixar nada por dizer. Não só a quem parte mas também a quem continua presente nas nossas vidas. É sobre perdão e reconciliação.

""Tarde de mais" chega mais depressa do que imaginamos."

Outro dos temas é o bullying que Clémence sofreu desde tenra idade por ser lésbica.

E, por fim, os magníficos e tão expressivos desenhos em tom pastel que dão a esta obra tanto significado, tanta emoção. Os quadrados em silêncio e que tanto dizem.

É amor.

[Anemonebook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Come si spiega l’amore per una nipote nei confronti della nonna che, malata di Alzheimer, sta perdendo se stessa, la sua memoria, i suoi ricordi giorno dopo giorno, inesorabilmente?
Come si spiega il coraggio di intraprendere un viaggio in auto insieme a lei per esaudire uno dei suoi ultimi desideri?
Come si spiega l’impotenza che porta all’incoscienza nell’agire?
Come si spiega la volontà di non farsi dimenticare dai propri cari che ti hanno cresciuta, protetta, amata?
Con QUESTO FUMETTO! Sta tutto qua dentro ed è bellissimo e commovente e delicato e potente 🩷

Ciao nonni, vi voglio tantissimo bene!

[Thibaut · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfection !

[m ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

« Too late arrives sooner than we think. »

c’est bizarre de sourire et pleurer en même temps, mais bon, écoutez, voilà

[erigibbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

[4.5]

Chi ha o ha avuto una persona cara, magari un nonno o una nonna, malata di Alzheimer, con questo fumetto rivivrà il ricordo della malattia, dei momenti un po’ più leggeri, quasi comici, e dei momenti più brutti e pesanti. Penso che Non mi dimenticare possa essere un colpo al cuore per tutt*, ma penso anche che sia peggio per chi l’ha vissuto o lo sta vivendo.
Ho rivisto tanto di mia nonna in questa tavole. Ho rivisto tanto di me nei pensieri di Clémence. È stata piuttosto dura come esperienza di lettura, ma non nego di aver sorriso con le lacrime agli occhi più di qualche volta per le frasi e le assurdità che la nonna della protagonista diceva nel corso delle pagine che mi hanno fatto ricordare quasi le stesse frasi pronunciate dalla mia, di nonna.
Ricordare. Viviamo ricordandoci le persone che non sono più con noi. E ci sono persone che muoiono nel momento in cui non riescono più a ricordare. Sono persone che perdono un pezzo di sé giorno dopo giorno. Quando mi sono resa conto che ero io quella che non veniva ricordata, anch’io ho perso un pezzo di me. Ho perso mia nonna molto prima della sua morte. E l’unica cosa che posso fare è ricordarla. Finché posso.

[Lune]

j'ai rarement autant chouiné en refermant une BD

[Nadja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deshalb liebe ich Bibliotheken, wo man solche Perlen entdecken kann, die man sonst nie entdeckt hätte. Ein emotionales Buch mit wichtigen Themen (Alzheimer, Älterwerden) und wunderschönen Zeichnungen. Ich gebe zu, dass ich das Ende auf den ersten Blick nicht korrekt interpretiert habe, aber es passte.

[Martina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nunca chorei tanto com o livro. Este livro é uma emoção. Tudo nele é perfeito: o título, a história, a arte, as personagens.
Vai ser difícil esquecer-me dele.

[Tiash . · Rating 5 out of 5]

"How about we kiss the sea, Grammy? "

This comic made me emotional. I was sobbing throughout the whole book. I lost both my grandparents when i was only a child and this book perfectly pointed out what I'm missing out. It's cute, heartfelt and also very disturbing and gut wrenching at times.

A road trip of a young woman and her much older grandma who's suffering from Alzheimer's is the premise of this story. which follows the exploration of a beautiful relationship shared by them. It's terrifyingly beautiful and pure.

But It's not all cute and fluffy. It's bitter and poignant at It's core. It talks about toxic masculinity, sexist behaviour. Be it Clemence's boyfriend asking her to act like She's enjoying the sex, cause it hurts his male ego! Or be it, people's assuming her She's not being capable.... It just mirrored the narrow mindset of our society. Though Clem's sexuality wasn’t mentioned certainly there was also a brief encounter with a girl.

Art style was also pretry impressive. Overall a good read. Would recommend.

Nb : Some parts contain nudity

[Lia Strange · Rating 4 out of 5]

por que duele tanto? el solo pensar que mi abuela podría olvidarse de mi me rompe el alma

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this one from the publisher in exchange of an honest review.
This was so beautiful. Bring tissues, you will need them. So much. Meet Clemence, a girl who sees her grandmother is doing well and decides to take her on a roadtrip to a very important house. Problem? Grandma has alzheimer. She can have very clear moments, but other times she is a child, or a teen. My heart broke for Clemence. She thought it was going to be easy but this trip won't be hard because of her grandma, but also because of other things that happen along the way.
I loved seeing Clemence and her grandmother interact, and my heart just broke when grandmother had her clear moments. Especially during the times that she knew her mind was being eaten away. Memories were leaving her.
The ending was one I definitely hadn't expected and while it was a great ending and fitted perfectly with the story/grandma's wishes, it was also shocking.
The art was really pretty, I love the style.