(I will preface this piece by saying I don't have all of the language necessary to discuss this piece in total, and I'm still learning.)
First, I'll say this story was interesting to read as someone who has a strong tie to Marielitos. I have family who were Marielitos, including my dad, so this piece hit home and I found my mind straying to recall family stories. What often brought me back, however, was the images; what the illustrator chose to emphasis along with the accompanying narration.
For example, when sex, whether 'biological' or the act is discussed, neither the illustrator nor the narrator shy away from detailing the act, whether in image or word. The effect here is essentially a gut punch and unapologetic. I didn't exactly expect to scroll through a graphic novel and get a full page/face of penis (silly of me, probably since it is called Sexile). The image holds you while the voice that hovers above the scene orients you. It forces you to engage in the topic presented, which is very much so purposeful considering the topic (and its many intersections) at hand.
There's this moment at the end where the narrator is swimming, and comes to the conclusion that their life is meant to live neither in the either or the or; that they're meant to be in the in-between. The image is a repeated image, first scene when the narrator leaves Cuba. This time, however, the frame isn't as smooth and as hard drawn as the previous image. The bubbles break the frame and then the next image we get is of two feet on sand with the word llego (arrived or I arrived). This image isn't as abrupt as some of the others, but I couldn't get it out of my head. Movement is a big part of this story and I didn't feel it so much as feel dropped into it. If that makes sense? The transitions are rough, purposeful. We're not allowed to be stable because the narrator isn't.
Interesting that it had this nostalgic effect on you, almost like you too were in between the world of the piece and your world while experiencing it. I didn't expect to see so much penis either, but I felt like it worked within the narrative. So much of the story is about self-actualization, and the penis is a piece of Adela's self. I was also struck by that swimming scene, the way it is repeated in the story to show the lasting effect of exile, the feeling of being nowhere, not belonging. I thought it was a nice way to explore the way she never quite fit into any one world she inhabited.
ReplyDeleteMovement is a big part of this story! and so is the nostalgia, your nostalgia as well. The body is so important in defining Tran culture that viewing it seems to be a way to enter the story.
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