22 Jan / Parenthesis by Élodie Durand, translated by Edward Gauvin [in Booklist]
At 24, “in 1994, or maybe 1995 already,” French artist Élodie Durand first began experiencing symptoms – what her family would later call her “spells” – that included abrupt memory loss and erratic behavior, such as baseless rage and violent outbursts. Her diagnosis of epilepsy is understandably shocking, but she’s “ready to swallow whatever pills it took so I’d never have a spell again.” Her neurologist assures her, “‘When the seizures are under control, you can have a normal life.’” That journey will prove harrowing, including the discovery and removal of a brain tumor in order to miraculously reach an epileptic-free “normal” in 2001.
With the help of her ever-supportive family, especially her mother, to whom her text is addressed, Durand graphically confronts the parenthetical pause that “shaped and upended [her] first steps toward life as a grown-up.” Parsing through their combined memories – her own dominated by haunting drawings she made during 1995-98, which enhance, albeit jarringly, her narrative – Durand’s memoir is both grueling and triumphant. Originally published in 2010 and translated into English by ever-prodigious Edward Gauvin, Parenthesis ultimately celebrates “such intense joy from living.”
Review: “Graphic Novels,” Booklist, January 1 & 15, 2021
Readers: Adult
Published: 2010 (France), 2021 (United States)