Waves

This is a gorgeous, tragic, heartfelt book that completely surprised me and earned a permanent place on my bookshelf.

This is the single most moving thing I’ve ever read. It should be studied by students in high school and college lit classes for generations. Nothing has ever given me such incredible insights to the experience of losing a child or suffering a stillbirth. This is an absolute MUST READ and it’s an incredibly fast one as well.

BRILLIANT!

I’ve been reading graphic novels of all stripes for years now – from heartbreaking immigrant sagas to silly-wonderful middle grade romps! But one subgenre I haven’t read much of (mostly due to personal preference, tbqh) is that of contemporary adult. This genre finds its material in laying bare the mundane, everyday pain/joy of living. And if more of them are like Ingrid Chabbert’s Waves, illustrated by Carole Maurel, I’ve been missing out.Waves tells the story of a personal tragedy – the sort of horrible, catastrophic loss and aftermath that can happen to anyone, no matter their privilege or any other factor. When a young queer couple lose their long-awaited baby, the aftermath of lost dreams and plans stretches into empty space and feels like the end of hope. Chabbert’s story, based in part on her own experience, depicts small moments of connection in therapy, in community with others who have experienced the same loss, and through expansive visual and textual metaphors for grief.While Waves is primarily concerned with miscarriage, it is also about life, and how it changes and diverges from the paths and plans we make for ourselves, and how people carry on in the face of the unimaginable, personal tragedies of life. I think it is especially apt after such a collective grief moment (or denial thereof) as we have experienced with the recent pandemic. The book contains no names, except for the doctor, which gives it a purposeful anonymity or anybody-ness. In the aftermath of the loss, an encounter with a dog at the shore allows an unburdening and is a meditation on who we tell our stories to, when they are not happy or silly or perfect.Maurel’s art is pen and ink, colored in watercolors – bright but not too bright. Some panels are purposefully left black and white, with only an object or two in color, highlighting specific actions. The linework is gorgeous, and Maurel particularly succeeds with the shadows and lighting in the underwater page spreads. The art, as always with graphic novels, is a star and a focus, and in this case it seems to effortlessly mesh with the text, drawing out emotion. If this book doesn’t make you cry, I’ll have questions.In all, Waves is an intensely moving and beautiful depiction of one of the most haunting, everyday losses in life, and one that does not often find its way into graphic novels, much less so beautifully, gracefully, and with so much care.Recommended for: fans of Lucy Knisley’s memoirs, the recent (and excellent!) Stone Fruit, and anyone who appreciates art that treats tough topics with a deft hand.

***Content warnings for miscarriage, loss of child, infertility, depression***Based on the author's personal experiences with her partner, Waves follows a couple trying to have a baby, and the ways they are forced to find healing afterwards.I don't know what I was thinking requesting an eARC of this graphic novel.It was beautiful, and tragic, and so honest, and well-done... and one of the most miserable things I've ever read. I couldn't stop sobbing. Waves is brutal and, despite how great of a graphic novel it is, I wouldn't even know who to recommend this to because it's so sad. That said, it easily deserves the 5-star rating I'm giving it. I especially loved the snippets with the woman in the boat, and the way her progress paralleled with her healing journey.Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go hug my little rainbow baby and cry some more. I genuinely hope that Ingrid Chabbert and her partner have found peace and healing. ♥* Thank you so much to BOOM! Studios for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review! **** If you found this review helpful, please click the "Yes/Helpful" button below to let me know. Thank you!

First off, I will start by saying that the importance of this particular topic and sensitivity is extremely important to reaching those who have either gone through similar situations or lack the knowledge to know what it is actually like. With that being said, I did not feel as if there was enough context of the struggles to actually detail the feelings and the artwork didn't feel as if it truly connected to the pain or emotional journey. A rather short read with about 90 pages and very little text. The message is there but the art, writing and execution are all just OK.

*I received this book as an eARC from BOOM! Studios & Archaia via NetGalley.I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.* This graphic novel tells a woman's journey through pregnancy, the loss of her child, and the mourning and reconstruction that comes after. The artistic style portrays the mourning through the use of colors. Highlights show the colors coming back into their world after their loss. This is a very emotional story.I give this graphic novel a 5/5. The process of grieving and reconstruction is shown so well. I feel that anyone, whether you have any similar experiences or not, will be moved by this book.

What a powerful book. It chronicles the narrative of Ingrid Chabbert and her partner as they experience the joy of becoming pregnant and then losing their son. The poignant grief and healing connect you to the story and will have you cheering on the characters as they reach milestones of healing.The illustrations use colors (and lack of colors) to add to the emotions portrayed so the reader can experience the joy and pain with the characters of "Waves."I highly recommend this book.Representation: interracial marriage, a lesbian married couple, IVF, loss of a childTrigger warning: difficult pregnancy, miscarriage/stillborn child, losing a child, emergency c-sectionI received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book came into my life at one of the hardest times of my life. it is beautiful and I highly recommend