Blue Is the Warmest Color

Stunning. Absolutely, positively beautiful.

My attention was drawn to this graphic novel by one of the podcasts that I listen to. They raved about how gorgeous and important this story was. Of course, that meant I had to know what all the hype was about. Luckily my library had a digital copy of this for loan, and I snatched it up. I am so glad that I did. Blue Is the Warmest Color deserves all the accolades it has garnered, and more. Much more.

Julie Maroh expertly crafts a story about a teenage girl named Clementine. We follow her through a series of drab, grayscale panels to begin with. I thought this was utterly brilliant on Maroh's part. See, Clementine's life lacks color. She moves through each day, without any passion for anything in particular. That is, until she sees the girl with blue hair, and blue eyes.

Clementine's initial reaction to Emma, the girl with blue hair, undid me. The art in this book is perfection, but it's never more perfect than when Maroh is crafting the facial expression of one of the characters. Clementine's face when she sees Emma for the first time says it all. Attraction, jealousy, and above all else complete confusion as to why she'd even feel that way in the first place. I can't imagine what it's like to realize that you're attracted to the same sex, and based on the panels that follow Clementine's first glimpse of Emma, neither can she.

What builds from there is one of the most heartbreaking and wonderful stories I've ever read. There's this mid-point where, once these two are together, everything starts to show in color. It was such a subtle change that I almost didn't catch it, but that's also why it's so fitting. Clementine's world fills with passion, and Emma is the center of that. Which, of course, makes the ending all the more devastating. Trust me, you'll need tissues for this.

I feel it necessary to warn any potential readers that there are panels in this book that might bother some. There is nudity, and love making between two women. If you have an issue with those things, this probably isn't for you. If you don't, prepare to be enchanted. I can't express enough how much I agree that this is not only a lovely, but very important book. Blue Is the Warmest Color shows that love crosses all boundaries, no matter how solid we might think they are.