Parallel

by Matthias Lehmann

Karl Klings Geschichte ist eine Offenbarung. Eine Offenbarung gegenüber seiner Tochter Hella, die viele Jahre zuvor den Kontakt zu ihm abgebrochen hat. Karls Brief an sie ist nichts weniger als der Versuch, ihr jenen Unbekannten vorzustellen, der ihr Vater ist, ihr jedoch nie ein Vater zu sein vermocht hatte. Im Rückblick auf sein Leben erfahren Hella und die Leser*innen von Karls gescheiterten Ehen, zerrütteten familiären Beziehungen – und von seiner Liebe zu Männern.

Von den letzten Kriegsjahren an bis in die 1980er-Jahre hinein folgt “Parallel” Karl Klings Bemühen, bürgerlichen Normen zu genügen, um im Verborgenen seine Sexualität leben zu können. Dabei setzt sich nicht allein das Porträt eines zwischen Anpassung und Aufbegehren zerrissenen Lebens zusammen, “Parallel” zeichnet zugleich das Panorama einer deutschen Gesellschaft, in der Homosexualität geächtet und bis 1994 unter Strafe gestellt ist. Eindringlich erzählt Matthias Lehmann von der jahrzehntelangen Sehnsucht nach einem selbstbestimmten Leben und von dem Preis, den Karl Kling und die Menschen an seiner Seite dafür zahlen. Er erzählt auch von dem Mut, sich trotz aller Widerstände schließlich zu öffnen.

Genres: Graphic Novels, LGBT, Historical Fiction, Comics, Queer, Graphic Novels Comics, Historical

464 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2021

About the author

Dibujante, ilustrador y pintor ocasional de raíces franco-brasileñas, Matthias Lehmann nació en la región de París en 1978 y ya en la adolescencia empezó a foguearse en la historieta breve y el mundo de la autoedición. Hoy destaca como especialista en la técnica del linograbado, colabora de manera regular en revistas y periódicos como Fluide Glacial, Siné Mensuel, Le Monde o Libération y tiene en su haber obras como Isolacity (2001), L’éttoufeur de la RN 115 (2006), Les larmes d’Ezéchiel (2009) o Personne ne sait que je vais mourir (2015).

Reviews

[s.penkevich [hiatus-will return-miss you all] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being forced to suppress your true self from your public life of work, family and friends often becomes a long, lonesome journey, and this is especially true for Karl in Matthias Lehmann’s heartrending yet tragically beautiful graphic novel Parallel. Spanning the tumultuous decades from post-WWII to the 1980s in German, Karl struggles with being a gay man in a society where homosexuality is criminalized while also finding his clandestine relationships repeatedly causing harm to his life as a family man —a life he so desperately wishes he could live authentically while also realizing he cannot ever dismiss his true desires. In keeping with the title, the story is told in parallel timelines of Karl as a lonely, retired man worried he can never make amends with his estranged, adult daughter with the timeline of Karl’s adulthood leading through broken marriages and relationships, finding secret solace in queer communities and living in fear of being found out. This is a heavy book—both emotionally and literally as in comes in around 450pgs of striking black and white artwork—with Parallel capturing the struggles of queer people in history along with the history of post-war Germany and becoming a heartbreaking investigation into repression and isolation.

Occasionally this feels overly long, but the artwork is breathtaking. Particularly the many architectural frames, showing bombed out cities wearily getting back on their feet or somber landscapes that match the emotional vibes of the story (the winter artwork is particularly lovely). While I sometimes felt the use of shadows on faces wasn’t my favorite stylization, I did enjoy how well Lehmann shows his characters age. This is a somber artistic feast and for how sad the story is, the artwork is something you’ll want to pause and bask in.

The story is quite painful at times. It shows the way criminalization of sexualities forced people to hide (heres an article on the legal history, and that homosexuality was decriminalized in East Germany in 1968 and in West Germany in 1969, though the legislation was not discarded completely until 1994) which only heaps shame on top of an already difficult situation. We see Karl wrestle with his feelings, falling into secret affairs and even brining a lover to live at home with his wife and kid, and how the life he tries to keep hidden keeps coming back to haunt him. It can be a lot, and I was reminded a bit of Giovanni's Room where you see how the stresses and oppressions corners people into behaviors that end up hurting loved ones. It moves rather slowly through much of Karl’s past—slow as in detailed and letting the story breathe but never feeling like a slog as this book is really quite engaging—though I wish it would have addressed the issues between him and his daughter more. We never see her past childhood and only hear about vague arguments that lead to her cutting him out of her life for over a decade. One can surmise what occurred, but so much of the story is building around the break-up of that family bond and Karl’s hopes to repair it without any of that really making it onto the page in a rather long book.

Still, Parallel is quite moving and difficult to look away from. It covers a lot of ground, balances a lot of side characters, and is just gorgeous to look at. The side-characters are just as engaging as the main story, particularly the woman he can identify with in East Germany, and you feel every setback and heartbreak along with the characters on the page. I’m glad this was made available in the US in translation by Ivanka Hahnenberger as the insight into post-war Germany is also rather fascinating to read. Based on event’s of Lehmann’s own relative, this is a sad but powerful look at life struggling to keep moving forward, to find community and, most importantly, to find self-acceptance.

4/5

[jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't stop looking at this cover.

There are so many emotions portrayed and they're portrayed in such a subtle and quiet way and yet when I look at it - the longing, the fear, the sadness, the hope... it's just so loud.

This feeling continues through the entire story. The art is stunning in a simple way. It's devoid of colour, the characters look so very human that they're ugly at times, but sometimes there will be pages of scenes that take your breath away.

The scenes and dialogues are so mundane at times, but it's not about what is being said - it's about what isn't.
And what isn't said is so loud that it's overpowering the actual dialogue. In a good way.

The story isn't a new one but it's done in a way that it finds its mark. It's touching, it's personal and it's very intimate. It will stay with me for a long time.


Unfortunately for you lot it's only available in German. And we're gatekeeping.

[Emily B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found myself immersed in the story which was somewhat heart breaking at times.

The only thing bringing it down for me was that some of the characters were hard to tell apart in the images and the time frame often changed unexpectedly

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for allowing me to read and review this

[~Nicole~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heartbreaking and beautiful graphic novel about what it was like to be gay in 1950’s Germany . Karl, our MC , writes a letter to his estranged daughter, opening his heart and hoping to reach her by being truthful .
I liked the book and I felt every emotion it tried to evoke-fear, sadness, longing and the art was quite lovely. I wish we got to see a bit more , we got to know the characters on a deeper level , heck, I wish it were a text-based novel instead of a graphic novel (which I’m not a fan of ). I don’t know if it’s a debut but if so it’s a pretty good one.

[Ben Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Parallel was an emotional and heartrending read. Told from the perspective of a man writing a letter to his estranged daughter, in the hopes of reconnecting and reconciling.

In his letter, Karl reflects back on his life as a gay man in 1950s Germany; from his want of a family to his love for men, and the dangers that entailed at the time. His hopes is that him finally being open and honest with his daughter, Hella, will restart their relationship and that she will visit him for his upcoming birthday.

Matthias Lehmann did an excellent job conveying the complex emotions and desires in Karl and those around him. The artwork was brilliant, it added a lot to the weight and atmosphere of the story.

This graphic novel was really touching and it had me rightly in my feels. It's one that will stay with me for a long time. I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy to reread.

Arc provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Elizabeth A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Translated from German by Ivanka Hahnenberger.

This historical graphic novel "deftly explores the complexities of being gay at a time when queer relationships were forbidden."

I took my time reading this one. Set between WW2 and the 1980s, Karl tries to reconcile who is and how it conflicts with societal and familial expectations. The illustration style is loose and wonderfully evokes the drama on the page.

[Ghoul Von Horror · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me reading this book.....

TW: homophobia, cheating, toxic parent relationships, sexual assault

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:Karl Kling's story is one of revelations, and these he has addressed in a letter to his daughter, Hella, who had disowned Karl many years ago. Karl's letter is a cri de coeur from a father to a daughter he never really got to know, and he comes clean to her about his failed marriages, his fractured family relations--and his love for men.Taking place between the end of World War II and the 1980s, Parallel chronicles Karl's efforts to comply with social norms in order to keep his sexuality a secret. It also paints a picture of a life torn between conformity and rebellion, and the cruel realities of twentieth-century German society, where homosexuality was proscribed and punishable until 1994.
Release Date: June 13th, 2023
Genre: Graphic novel
Pages: 458
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What I Liked:
1. The writing was beautiful
2. The characters felt like real people
3. The story carried along perfectly

What I Didn't Like:
1. The random changing time lines with no warning
2. Very hard to tell male characters apart when they were talking

Overall Thoughts:
This graphic novel tore my heart apart. Karl is not a good person. He’s not a good father and he definitely is not a good husband, but for all these faults you can understand why he isn’t. Times were different. He wasn’t allowed to love openly and was forced in a way to be married. He tries to be faithful to his wives but he just can’t. You can feel for him that he is struggling to be a good person and that he wants to be normal but he can’t.

There is a scene where Karl is drunk and sees a man resembles his old love so he follows him into the bathroom and forces himself onto him. He is stopped from going further but just a warning.

I’m shocked that there were so many twists in this novel. The fact that Helmut started out as Karl’s love affair and the was a sex worker shocked me. Then to find out that Helmut was not even gay but ended up getting her pregnant. My mouth dropped.

There are just these moments where you feel badly for Karl. He decides to not go out with his work friends and instead comes home to bake Lue a cake. They get in a fight and the whole time you think he was trying but it’s just too late. He’s never going to be what she needs and she’s never going to be what he wants.

Oh and then the heartbreaking moment of will his daughter Hella show up or not. I was hoping that she would see him even though he’s been a horrible father to her. When you find out that Helmut married her mom it’s no wonder she took off. Helmut was probably only 15 years older than her and now he’s her stepfather. Plus her own father not being around. I tell you though I cried at the ending when she showed up. It broke me into pieces.

Final Thoughts:
This was everything. I loved it. Sadly I did remove a star because the moments when two males shared a panel it was difficult to tell them apart. I also think it would have been nice to separate the timelines because they would catch you off guard.

Recommend For:
• Gay relationships
• Forbidden romances
• Historical fiction
• Domestic storylines

IG | Blog

[Danai · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartbreaking exploration as to the realities of being gay in the past, seen through a graphic novel featuring realistic,complex characters.

The wondrous feeling of knowing something is at odds with your incapability to be truly satisfied by courting the opposite sex, to the bullying,secret gay meetings upon friends and lovers, the slurs, the arrests, and the constant paranoia and need for fresh starts away from the town in which your sexuality was discovered, were all excellently portrayed in the novel.

Following a main character you will find yourself disliking with as often as you will pity him, I simply cannot help but be grateful for the uniqueness that marked all the characters in the book, and the authors perfect portrayal of a non perfect victim, of an unlikable main character who is now attempting to make amends and whom despite his many faults absolutely did not deserve to be treated the way he was by society as a whole.

Honestly, my only complaint about this book is the art style which I wasn't particularly fond of. I'd absolutely recommend giving it a try.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the decades after World War II, a gay German man's closeted life torments him, causing bad decisions that bring pain to the lives of those around him.

Frankly, the protagonist's egotistical ways, lack of compassion, infidelity, and prevarication make him a pretty easy guy to dislike even as you sympathize for the ways he is suffering. I just sympathized with his family members more most of the time.

The art is a little vague, sometimes making it hard to distinguish characters, especially between time jumps. At least the pages of this thick tome aren't overstuffed with words and images and do turn quickly, but it still goes on a bit too long, belaboring its points about homophobia with much repetition.

So yeah, I'm not a big fan of this book, but I respect what it accomplishes and the portrait it draws of such a troubled man.

[Johnee · Rating 4 out of 5]

One word: heartbreaking.

Ok maybe a little more:
This graphic novel was so beautifully drawn. It's a visual style that I don't normally jive with but as I kept reading, I began to really appreciate the way it lends itself to the type of story we're reading, and I ended up liking it.

This story shows Karl reliving his past as he writes to his estranged daugther, asking if she would come visit for his birthday. I liked how it shuffled from present to the past and honestly, I just felt for him. To say that we have a lot of privilege in being able to live our queer lives so openly in the present is an understatement and when you read this, there's both a frustration at the main character but also at the society he's living in that makes him behave in the way he has to. It's really sad and makes you reflect on what life was like (in the time after World War 2 and before the 80s) as a gay man who had to conceal his identity, but also unable to come to proper terms with it because of that.

[Liralen · Rating 4 out of 5]

1950s Germany: the war might be over, but for Karl, the struggle is only beginning. He wants love, romance, sex—but despite marriage and children, what he really wants is love, romance, sex with men. And in 1950s Germany, those are not safe desires for a man.

Parallel is told in two timelines, the first of which takes us through the 1950s with Karl as he struggles to stay married—to want to stay married—and to quell the desires he's not allowed to have. Germany is not yet divided by wall and death zone, but it's not a safe place to be different. His life is split in two, one part in which he is a husband and father and reliable worker, and the other part spent sneaking around in the woods, in alleys, searching for a life he can't quite imagine. In the second timeline, Karl is newly retired, still holding on to his secrets, and wondering whether there is still a chance of building a new relationship with his estranged daughter.

The art here is lovely—black and white, strong lines and extensive use of shadow and shade. I could imagine a version of this in color, one with slightly different palettes for the two timelines, but the greyscale works for the story. I'm reminded a little of Fun Home, of Bechdel's father trying to be someone he is not—there is the same sense, here, of "what could have been" in a different time, a different place. (That "what could have been" is doubled down on in some of the ways the two timelines collide, but I'll stay vague there.)

At 450-odd pages, this is something of a tome of a graphic novel, and at times I would have liked to see less of Karl's isolation and the violence and uncertainty he faces and more of the lives around his—Liselotte's, Hella's. But there's also an extent to which that would dilute Karl's story, which is about that isolation. I was particularly interested in the time frames, though: both highlight Germany on the cusp of major change, with the wall going up and, later, the wall soon to come down. Cold War Germany, but a story within that setting that doesn't often get told. Definitely worth a read for anyone interested in graphic novels and queer history.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is incredibly hard to rate. I cannot fathom what it must be like to be gay in a society that criminalizes your sexuality. I can understand, however, the internalized shame, the denial, the struggle to fit in even at the risk of hurting others, lying to yourself and the people you love out of fear, how hard it is to come clean. I understand all of this and yet I couldn't like the main character at all. There were many points where his behavior was just malicious and selfish and, while I'm glad he found peace and could start healing in the end, I got so frustrated with Karl during the flashback scenes that I literally had to put my tablet down for a while.

Of course Karl is human and makes mistakes, but they happened so often that, after a while, I had a hard time sympathizing with him any more. The scenes in the present made it easy, but the scenes in the past made it so incredibly hard. I didn't really feel like Karl felt torn between his two "worlds", but rather that he just wanted the stability of married life with none of the strings attached - no matter if he was gay or not.

The art was okay, nothing to write home about but definitely not bad at all. I liked the premise and am always here for queer representation, but I couldn't enjoy the story itself as much as I had hoped. The timeline in the present was very enjoyable imo, but the one in the past left a sour taste in my mouth more often than not. All in all, I think Parallel was a good endeavor that I just personally didn't like as much. I would still recommend it to some of my friends.

- ARC provided by NetGalley -

[emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was interesting, I just wish that it had been told more in depth and we had gotten to know the characters a bit more. To me it felt like as soon as we were introduced to a new character they were no longer talked about so I had a hard time following. The art style also made the story kind of hard for me to follow between different times, places, and people as there was not a big distinction in my opinion. It was especially difficult for me to distinguish between what was happening in the past and the present as the characters in both timelines did not look that different from their past selves. However, I thought the art was really beautiful and well done! I also thought the concept and the story was really sweet and I love the topic that addresses being queer in the early 20th century and having to live somewhat of a double life. However, I did expect it to go more into detail about the wars and historical events happening during this time but it didn’t, I think if it had I would have liked it more but that is just my personal interest!

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Und am Ende habe ich geweint
Was für ein fantastisches Buch

[Pratibha Pandey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was much more layered and heartfelt than i expected. I enjoyed every part of it. It wasn't all black & white but has a lot of points to just empathise with.

[clotilde ☀️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

l'histoire était très triste, et je n'étais pas forcément dans l'humeur... mais elle est tout de même très bien !

j'ai aussi eu du mal à comprendre les aller-retour entre passé et présent ce que je trouve dommage. un simple changement de couleur (toute la bd est en noir et blanc) aurait pu aider à la compréhension.

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Oni Press and NetGalley for access to the E-Arc.

3,5 star rating rounded up.

(I find it so hard to structure reviews because my brain doesn't really work very linear, so I hope that anyone reading will still be able to follow along.)

I’m also not entirely sure where to put this in the review. But, this story both shows and deeply made me feel the isolation and loneliness as a theme. I would urge you to make sure that it is a feeling you are ready for before picking this up.

I was slightly intimidated reading this as it was so long, but I let go of that quite fast. When it comes to the art, I’m pretty neutral towards it.

So, I was interested in seeing how Karl would manage his life throughout the story as during this work, it’s illegal to be gay. I usually avoid books that I even suspect will contain cheating because that’s not something I like to read. However, I would say that this counts as special circumstances for me personally.

There is a scene during pages 58-60 that made me deeply uncomfortable.

Karl is retired at the start of this book (1980’s) and he’s feeling quite down thinking how he has completely lost touch with his daughter.
So after years and years, he now looks back on his life as he’s trying to pen a letter to his daughter and inviting her to try and reconnect.
Throughout the entirety of the story (1950’s), Karl tries to deny his identity as a gay man, both to himself (during parts of the story) and to almost everyone around him.
Seeing how he tries to both have the life he thought he wanted, the life everyone around him expects him to have, and the life he actually wants, was hard.

If you want to read a character that always does what is morally right, this is not for you. Karl is struggling to figure out how to exist without endangering himself, but also not denying himself to be true to who he is. It’s a struggle and I do think he is genuinely trying to be a generally good person.

At certain points I feel like the pacing was slightly off but looking back to the overall book, it’s not something that feels like a major flaw at all, to me it’s just a little dip.

There is a lot of valid criticism aimed towards Karl from the people that actually care for him. And I imagine that as he has so much struggle in the first place, he lashes out and hurts people whenever they start pointing out actual valid points when his actions hurt other people.
So my initial feelings was absolutely that people were too hard on him, but as soon as I put some thoughts to it, much of the criticism is valid, the delivery was harsh, and I feel like that is something people in general need to work on, to have the conversations before they reach the point where everyone is boiling over.

Overall, I’m glad to live in a place and time where it’s still not always easy being openly a part of the LGBTQ+ community but at least, it’s no longer illegal (personal circumstances. yes, I do know that it's not the same throughout the world).
And peeks into history is important. Let’s not forget the past and let’s not stop trying to make the present and future better.

CW: Homophobia, cheating, some nudity, hate crimes, violence, mention of suicide.

[Chiara D'Agosto · Rating 2 out of 5]

So.
I was really excited to be granted a review copy of this on Netgalley, so thank you for the opportunity.

I don't read many graphic novels, and this is a fact. I've read the staples, if you may so call them (things like Maus or Persepolis, like... the famous ones) so I'm not incredibly educated on the subject matter. My review is therefore not going to be a reflection on the technical, but on my own taste.

This is to say I absolutely hated the graphic part of this graphic novel. Yeah. So much I struggled to read, and to finish it. Which is a shame, because the story in itself is actually quite heartbreaking and stunning, but in a work like this you expect the drawings to be part of the narrative, and unfortunately, I missed out on those since I couldn't bare to look at them for more than necessary. So yeah, I didn't get to fully experience the narrative either. What a shame.

[Fenriz Angelo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Oni Press for giving me the ARC of this graphic novel through NetGalley in exchange of a honest review.

Parallel is a poignant graphic novel about Karl, an old man who tries to reconnect with her daughter by sending her a letter explaining why he wasn't a great father when she grew up. In the letter he explains the difficulties he had living as a homosexual man in post-war germany where homosexuality was criminalised. The decisions made in order to fit in, to avoid trouble, feeling miserable no matter what, etc. Most of his mistakes where product of his fight with himself looking for a bit of freedom albeit living a façade, which lead him to constantly hurt the people around him to the point of being left alone.

This books show a glimpse of the lives of queer men in germany after the war, where just like in America, homosexuality was a criminal act and men were persecuted and arrested if caught whereas women were sent to psychiatric wards to be "cured". Since Karl's life embodies experiences devoid of queer joy, i couldn't help feeling disappointed at first, however, with some hindsight, i think portraying a gay man who wasn't able to find nor hold onto a community of like-minded people, who ruined his life and others in vain, and overall never found requited love is also part of the representation of the queer lives of the time and thus deserves to be told just like other memories with happier outcomes. What's important is to acknowledge where we come from and how long we have come in some places where there're no obstacles to live your true self.

I'm gonna be honest, i didn't enjoy Matthias Lehmann's art. The use of watercolors for the enviroment are fantastic but i'm not a fan of the stylization of the people, i had trouble identifying who was who and the time jump between present and past made it worse.

[Chase Coe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was actually incredibly depressing and broke my heart over and over again lol. Matthias does not shy away from how it was to be gay during WWII AND the 80s in twentieth century Germany.

Like genuinely, the entirety of this graphic novel is so heavy. God, poor Karl. At least the very end gave me a little hope. A tiny bit.

[Michela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I’m crying. Also, JUSTICE FOR LISELOTTE 💔

[K_frost · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so just so sad.

[Gab · Rating 5 out of 5]

I sat down to start this book and couldn't put it down.
90 minutes later, I am left in tears, with the heaviness of a man's entire life on my shoulders.

Parallel is like a punch in the gut (in the way that powerful stories sometimes are), and it stays with you beyond the last page.

Being queer is a journey that isn't easy, especially in post WWII Germany, and this book is filled with moments that will resonate for a lot of the LGBTQIA+ community. Tackling issues as big as being accepted in a society where gay love is a crime, family and community estrangement, and violent hatred, Parallel also finely addresses the often hidden difficulties of a queer existence, such as the search for belonging and profound loneliness.



Thank you immensely to NetGalley and Oni Press for the opportunity to read this ARC of the English translation.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parallel is an almost desperately sad historical graphic novel, with a glimmer of hope at the end. The artwork is beautiful - utilising inks and watercolours, in a monochrome style that really conveys the emotions of the characters. This more fluid style - combined with switches between time periods - did impede my ability to tell who was who slightly at the beginning, but as the story progressed I became much more invested in the characters. The wider historical context isn't dealt with in much depth, but as a character study, this is very moving.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
Thanks to Oni Press and Netgalley for the ARC.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parallel was probably the most raw and heart-wrenching graphic novel I've ever read and will ever read.

Jumping between the present day and the years following the end of WWII, this graphic novel follows Karl Kling desperately trying to find his place in the world. We learn about the harsh reality of 20th century Germany where homosexuality was treated as a crime, and shame and punishment was enforced on anyone who was caught. Longing for a family and a home, Karl tries to hide and bury his feelings and desires by starting a family. Following the years of shame and lies, present day Karl is filled with an unfathomable amount of regret and loss and in an attempt to reconnect with his estranged daughter, he writes her a letter.

The artwork in this Graphic Novel was very unique, set in black and white and displayed an incredible amount of detail. The storyline had a grip on me and I couldn't put it down towards the end. The only problem was I sometimes found it difficult to follow and differentiate between the switching timelines.

Overall, I really enjoyed this read and would definitely recommend it to others.
The English translation edition is being published on the 13th June 2023.

Thank you so much to Oni Press & NetGalley for providing me with this e-ARC in exchange for a voluntary honest review.

I post about diverse & queer novels @niksreadss on Instagram

[Emma Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Graphic novels are usually not what I read, but recently I've been reading more of them to learn about the medium and the books within it. Parallel tells a heartbreaking story about a man struggling with his sexuality and the social consequences of it during post-WW2 in Germany when it is illegal. The book flashes back and forth between Karl in the present day as well as what life was like for him in Germany as we slowly start to piece together the life events that caused him to be where he is and why his daughter will not speak to him.

The art style at first was not my cup of tea, but however as the book continued, I grew to love the art style and can't want to have a physical copy so that I can see the art on something other than my phone screen. The black and white, I felt, added a level of rawness to the pictures and allowed me to focus on the facial expressions of those in the story, which helped bring the emotions.

What I loved most was how the story came in full circle with his daughter and ex-wife. The story showed all the sides of the family without villainizing them because all of them were trying to figure out how to navigate the marriage. I can't wait for this book to be out, and I will be recommending it to readers.

[on storygraph (macclown) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"There are some days when I just don't feel right. I would just like to run away and be on my own. I want to be left in peace and not see anyone. But I probably wouldn't last a day because I just don't like to be alone."

Wow, this was an incredible read. Could barely put it down. We follow the life of Karl in post WWII, struggling with his sexuality and trying to keep his life together. Beautiful and heartbreaking, it was a difficult read at times but overall an incredibly important read and a great insight into what it was like to be queer at the time.

The final part really threw me, his relationship with Helmut and the breakdown of his second marriage. But the ending was superb. A fantastic read.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley for the e-arc!

I am blown away at this book. It chronicles just what it was like to be gay in a time when being gay could get you jailed, beaten up, or even killed. The secrecy that was involved along with the fear must have been truly paralyzing yet these brave men continued because they couldn't live a lie which most inevitably did in order to not be ostracized. Karl had a constant war within himself, to want a family, but also to want to not hide who he was. One wonders about all of these unfortunate souls that sacrificed themselves to live a lie what they would have if they lived in present times (and present times aren't anywhere near perfect).

[Sebastian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolut mitreißend! Ich lese eigentlich keine Graphic Novels, tue mich schwer mit diesem Medium. Und auch hier musste ich mich zunächst daran gewöhnen, dass die Bedeutungsschwere der hier dargestellten Lebensgeschichte kaum durch Sprache, sondern vor allem durch Bilder transportiert wird. Es ist einfach ein ganz anderes Leseerlebnis für mich, aber einmal verstanden wird man hier nicht weniger mitgenommen als bei einem klassischen Roman.

[thegreatfoxby · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, so schön, aber auch traurig.