Originally published in French as Le Blue est Une Couleur Chaude, this graphic novel by Julie Maroh focuses on the lives of two young women in the late 1990s. It incorporates those typical coming-of-age, teenage concerns such as school, exams, parental (dis)approval and love. Clementine, a young girl in high school, finds herself inexplicably drawn to another young woman and slowly begins to realise what that might mean. Through the trails of coming out, falling out with her family, and struggling to make her relationship work, Clementine’s thoughts remain reflective and soft, but also desperate and yearning. Yet, as Clementine grows older, it becomes clear that love is not all that matters and sometimes alienation and rejection from our own culture, people and family leave injuries that our loved ones can’t fix for us. At the centre of this book is the search for identity and the power to love yourself.
Similar to some other graphic novels we’ve had on the list, this graphic novel has a predominantly black/grey/white colour scheme, with the intermittent use of blue accent colours for dramatic and metaphorical effect. The artwork has a great sense of detail and facial expresses, which allows you to easily differentiate between characters (which is not always easy in all graphic novels).
The reception for Blue is the Warmest Colour remains mixed, although the graphic novel won several awards and the film adaptation won the 2013 Palme d’Or as well as other awards. While the novel is definitely considered to be a milestone in LGBT+ publications, it also incorporates many stereotypes surrounding coming out and falls into the “Bury Your Gays” trope, which has a long and complicated history in mass media. Intrigued? You can borrow a copy of the graphic novel from the David Wilson Library, as well as a copy of the film.
Written by Esther De Dauw
