Broken glass can be both beautiful and the cause of intense pain. That about sums up how I feel about a+e4ever, Ilike Merey's debut graphic novel about high school, friendship, gender, hetero/homo/bisexuality, and techno.
I was trepiditious about picking up a+e. I've been through high school, and probably read too many books about what a pain it is. Why read another? But the unique art style and the gender identity hook pulled me in, and I decided to give it a go anyhow. About a fourth of the way through, I still wasn't very convinced. Delicate boy with feminine features is bullied at his new high school. He soon befriends the tough "ugly" girl who sticks up for him. Yada yada, yawn. But I decided to stick with it, and I am SUPER glad that I did.
Asher (as stated above) is the new guy at school, though not many people can tell. His small stature and androgynous face gets him constantly confused as a girl or bullied for being a "fag". Similarly troubled Eulalie, often catcalled a "dyke", swoops in to save him, and the two are instant bffs. They love the same music and clothes, and they both love to draw. Soon they are inseparable. They only problem is the Eulalie isn't gay, but Asher thinks he is. Bad news for Eu, who thinks that she might have just found "the one". Through a flurry of roadtrips, clubbing, and hiding from the world, the book follows their time together, as best friends, worst enemies, flirts, and confidantes.
The one thing that really sticks out about this book is its INTENSE honesty. Of course Eu is hiding a fragile heart behind her tough exterior, but the conflicting emotions she goes through- even the petty or whiny ones- are entirely realistic. This book perfectly captures the drunken whirlwind of painful and elated emotions that adolescence is all about. The characters are confused, trying to make the right decisions when they can barely tell which way is up. They care deeply about one another, and yet manage to hurt each other so much. Their intense attractions and revulsions throw the reader this way and that, until you too are completely caught up in the duo's snowballing angst and revelation.
The biggest turn off for me in this book was the typography and lettering. The author worked hard to try and find fonts that matched her jagged, scribbly drawing style, and as a result the titles and other various text can be next to impossible to read. Merey has a daring experimental style which forgoes speech and thought bubbles, leaving dialogue and inner monologue to hang in the space around the characters. This is fine, except that she neglects to use different lettering styles for the two main characters, which ends up being rather confusing in a lot of parts. But it isn't all bad. The art style itself is completely unique, somewhere between an ink and brush drawing and a notebook doodle. There is a clear manga/anime influence, especially apparent in the eyes and exaggerated expressions.
A warning: both characters are teenagers and they DO get mixed up in some of the shadier things that teenagers do. There is drinking, drug use, and rather explicit (though never fully illustrated) sex in this book. Both often lie to their parents about their whereabouts and cut class to hang out together. This didn't bother me personally (rather, it very much added to the realism of the story), but it might not be the right choice for younger teens or sensitive readers.
My verdict? READ THE BOOK! It was a fantastic first go from a young, independent cartoonist, and an intense read that for me, brought back what high school was all about. The good and the bad.
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