An exquisite new graphic novel, and a simple yet engrossing story.
Bastien Viv s is a graphic novelist and illustrator. He is the author of several highly-acclaimed graphic novels, including The Butcher and Hollywood in January. Chlorine won the 'Essential Revelation' prize at the Angouleme Festival in 2009. He lives in Paris.
This is one of those books that I want to say lots about in order
to convince you to read it but find myself rendered slightly
speechless by its simplicity, its beauty and its sheer ability to
move the reader. It is easily the best graphic novel I have read
this year and for quite some time. A bit like reading a perfectly
honed short story or novella. I can't imagine a person who wouldn't
find their life enriched by reading it.
*Just William's Luck (blog)*
If shades of turquoise and aquamarine are your thing, then you will
find this book extraordinarily beautiful. Low on dialogue, it's
Vivès's remarkable illustrations that draw you on... It's like
watching an extremely watery silent movie: evocative, dreamlike,
mysterious. Never before has the monotony of swimming lengths
seemed so appealing.
*The Observer*
A book so beautiful you'll want to jump right in.
*Metro*
Bastien Vives is attuned to the vulnerability of adolescent
physiques and feelings. He bathes these young bodies in swathes of
turquoise, shifting from flesh-coloured outlines above the surface
to grey-green abstractions beneath, transforming the swimming pool
into a special space, filled with hopes and desires.
*Times Literary Supplement*
Every once in a while, a graphic novel comes along that warrants
the kind of attention more typically bestowed upon the likes of the
Booker shortlist. Bastien Vivès's A Taste of Chlorine is one such
book. Vivès manages to combine the unspoken yearning of Lost in
Translation with the low-key detail of a film-maker such as Tom
McCarthy. What's more, the art is such that you'll frequently find
yourself stopping to admire the beauty of a single frame. Highly
recommended.
*Independent on Sunday*
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