Blue Pills: A Positive Love Story
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Frederik Peeters
I read a lot of graphic novels, basically as many as I can get my hands, on and whenever I go to the used bookstore I always make a beeline for that section, just to see what’s new or what I hadn’t heard of before. And that’s how I found “Blue Pills.” I’d never heard of the author before, never seen the book on any “best of lists”…but picking it up and looking at it there was just something about it that made me want to take it home and read it. I mean the illustrations were rough, like woodcuts, and the blurb about the story–AIDS and relationships–just made me want to know the story. And this book quickly became one of my favorite books that I read last year.
“Blue Pills” is not your average memoir and neither are the people that you meet in it. It’s a powerful, moving, heartwarming, and heartbreaking story of relationships and life all at the same time. You see Frederik is dating Cati, a woman with a young son…and both Cati and her son are HIV positive. Cati and her son don’t want any pity, they just want to be and feel normal, feel loved and live life to the fullest while still fighting the disease. Frederik takes us on a journey into their world, their relationship, and coming to terms to what it means to date someone with HIV. It’s the story of their love of one another and what makes them human.
The thing to know about the story before you begin reading it is that it was translated it into English, which means sometimes the words/phrases don’t adapt well. But it doesn’t affect the overall story. Frederik tells their story of life together, of falling in love, of caring for Cati’s son, and the ever looming future that is so frighting. He tells the story with a gentle touch, never overwhelming the reader with fear and doubt. Instead he invites us in to their lives, to take a look around, to get to know them in these few short pages and feel like we’ve known them our entire lives.
The artwork is done in rough, broad ink strokes that at times look like woodcuts from days long ago. They capture Frederik, Cati, and her son and let us see their feelings at a glance. The stark black and white only emphasizes the story being told and helps us get more in tune with it. There are many scenes where there are no words, just the illustrations, and with only a glance you can tell how you’re supposed to feel when viewing the image, even without looking at the preceding panels.
The story and the art speak for itself. It doesn’t need me or anyone else trying to describe it in so few words. It’s a powerful book that’s a must read for anyone.
