“Take me to the corner” – Elise meets Dagmar

In the graphic novel “Bring mich noch zur Ecke”, two women find in each other what is missing in their family life. Review by Simone Veenstra.

On which shelf?
For those graphic novels like “Pirouettes” or “Behind the Walls” that allow us to partly participate in the real-life of real characters without telling us a full-blown Hollywood adventure.

What does it look like?
First of all: unlimited. Instead of the usual painting frame, the watercolor-like colored backgrounds don’t define any dividing lines. It flows and highlights clearly defined Formark numbers in contrast. The astonishing interaction, at the same time racy and lively, supports on a technical level what can be read in “Bring mich noch zur Ecke”: sometimes it is very difficult to define the boundaries.

what is he talking about?
Author Elise has been married to her husband, Professor Henrik, for 23 years. The children are out of the house, and the couple settled into a quiet and equal cohabitation and enjoyed it. Then Elise meets Doctor Dagmar and this confrontation leads to something. The rapprochement via SMS and letters is followed by a first personal meeting, and it will not be the last, because the two women find together what is missing in their family life.

It is surprisingly helpful for everyone involved to try to find a new direction and their approach to the changing relationship horoscopes seems to have matured amazingly at first. The radical change is not the love between the two women, but Henrik’s inability to free himself from the male image of his generation. Instead of sticking to his agreement with Elise to be true to each other, he begins a secret affair with a graduate student more than 20 years his junior, which eventually leads to their divorce.

we find
“Take Me to the Corner” is a hypnotist, unavoidable because it is quiet, like observing a body of water. The great strength of the narrative style lies in the calm and finally proves itself: despite all the loss and grief that befell her, it can be assumed that Elise has a new beginning under various and perhaps real signs. Proof that heart-wrenching stories can be made without drama, hustle, or fuss
Speed.

Distinctive feature
Between the faded primary colors of blue, yellow, and green for backgrounds and black stripes for shapes, Furmark uses red only sparingly, but very purposefully. This makes unobtrusive and subtle emotional accents visible. For example, in the book’s only popular culture quote, which refers to the movie Love Actually.

“Bring mich noch zum Ecke” was translated by Katharina Erbin, who also translated the texts of Leif Strömquist’s Philosophical Essay into German.

Aneli Voormark: “Bring Me to the Corner,” German by Katharina Erben, Avant Verlag, foldable pamphlet, 232 pages.

“Mom, Dad, we need to talk.” These storyboards add a humorous touch to earnest parental recognition.