I loved this book so much!
In “Parallel” we follow the protagonist Karl. I loved the concept of the 2 story lines that we follow.
First Karl’s life just after WW2 ; how he wanted to fit in and have a family and not be alone.
And in his later life; how he wanted to rekindle with his daughter after many years of not speaking.
I also very much loved the art style!
Definitely a recommendation!

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy for review.

I have read a little in the past about life for lgbtqia+ people in Germany under Paragraph 175 and was very curious about Parallel.
The story takes place between the end of WWII and the 1980's, Karl Kling has just been forced into retirement. As he tries to figure out what to do with his life he starts to write a letter to his estranged daughter explaining to her for the first time that he lived a double life as a married family man and he would seek men for casual sexual encounters. Karl is called out by many partners in his retelling for being selfish, he is far from being treated as a flawless protagonist, but he is also painting a picture of the toxic masculinity that he had to navigate through.

I would absolutely recommend.

4.25 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for accepting me to be pre-publication review of this graphic novel.

This book begins which our main character Karl Kling being pushed into retirement and at a loss for what to spend his time on. A longtime friend, Adam, suggests he tries to reconnect with his daughter Hella who disowned him eight years prior. Unsure, he begins to look through old photos transporting him back to his youth starting towards the end of WW2 up through the 1980s and decided to write Hella a letter. In it he tells about his failed marriages, fractured family life and his love for men.

This is a really great book focussing on the internal and external dilemma queer people had during the time. Karl so desperately wants to fit into social norms and hide his ‘unnatural’ - and illegal - sexuality, keep up the illusion of the good family man and be ‘normal’. There’s this big divide between what he should want, what’s expected of him by society, and his needs that feels great at the time but constantly leads to regret. This quote from the books description perfectly sums this up ‘Lehman poignantly depicts the story of a decades-long yearning to live an open and free life, and the price Karl and those he loves must pay for it’ and the path to accepting yourself in a time where you’re forever told you are wrong. I felt there was maybe a few too many rehashings of the same conversations and events but it didn’t detract too much. The characters were quite realised and held nuance despite not getting to know them all that well. Like real people, they make mistakes and have their good and bad qualities which Karl mostly being lovable - there’s things he does that are wrong I guess but the context and time period has to be taken into account, as well as attitudes in the post-nazi divided German states.

The artwork was definitely well executed and added lots to the narrative. It is consistent, a bit messy at times but for the most part it’s quite clear what is being shown. It wasn’t my favourite in all honestly but certainly not bad by any means. The drawings really helped in brining the characters to life and shows their emotions well which isn’t always the case. I also loved how as the story develops Karl and other characters age which was done well.

I would for sure recommend this book, I haven’t read anything set in Germany during this time but am intrigued to do so again. The queer representation and internal dilemmas was great and although not the nicest story is a realised account of a gay man dealing with the parallels of a life he should live and one he wants to live.

Overall I thought this was a fantastic, poignant story about being a gay man in Germany after WW2. I found it a little hard to follow at times, and the time changes were somewhat confusing. The illustrations were gorgeous, and in black and white, but there was an unfinished feel to the book in the end. I think even one more scene could have given a more finished feel.

This one was not for me - hopefully will work for others! Too much queer pain for what I was hoping for.

I wanted to love this but it was hard going. It jumped time lines a lot and I found it difficult to keep track. I wasn't always sure who was who.

A poignant and moving story of what it was like to be a gay man in Germany after world war II. Wish it was longer, it felt a little unfinished, but I really enjoyed the story and I really empathised with the main character.

A very sad story about a closet gay man in Germany, trying to figure out who he is and where he belongs.
Normally I love these kind of sad stories, but this one didn’t really get to me. I wasn’t a big fan of the writing and couldn’t form any real connections to the characters. I did enjoy the switches between past and present, which gave a nice understanding to the story. Very heartbreaking to live a secret life, but also very difficult for the women being betrayed…

This was a fascinating and sad graphic novel about a closeted gay man who separated himself into two people, the gay man, and the family man.

While I could emphasize with the main character, it was oftentimes hard to root for him. After just finishing another book about a woman whose husband was cheating on her with men, it made me sad to see how this character neglected not only his wife but their child.

Overall this book was depressing for everyone, but a really good story.

I personally loved the art style but found it hard to to follow who was who while reading it on my phone, a physical copy of this book would probably be more beneficial.

As I continue to explore more graphic novels, and more translated fiction, this book was a fascinating read, and one that I had to keep reminding myself was fiction.

Following the shame and secrets on one man in Germany (East and West) from WW2 until the 1980s this book drew me in from the start. I did find it a little hard at times to see from the illustrations as to where in the timeline we were but apart from that an interesting read.

This was such a powerful read. At times, it was hard to even root for Karl, it it is so well portrayed for the times he had to live through. With a few twists, especially an unexpected one, it paints a masterful picture of how hard it could be for a man like Karl. Throughout the story, I especially loved the letter he writes to his daughter.

Esta novela gráfica fue larga pero satisfactoria.
El final era obvio, pero me gustó cómo daba indicio de una intriga mientras aprendías el pasado del protagonísta.
El dibujo no era para tanto, no me agradó.

Thank you to Netgalley for the e-arc!

I am blown away at this book. It chronicles just what it was like to be gay in a time when being gay could get you jailed, beaten up, or even killed. The secrecy that was involved along with the fear must have been truly paralyzing yet these brave men continued because they couldn't live a lie which most inevitably did in order to not be ostracized. Karl had a constant war within himself, to want a family, but also to want to not hide who he was. One wonders about all of these unfortunate souls that sacrificed themselves to live a lie what they would have if they lived in present times (and present times aren't anywhere near perfect).

Parallel is an almost desperately sad historical graphic novel, with a glimmer of hope at the end. The artwork is beautiful - utilising inks and watercolours, in a monochrome style that really conveys the emotions of the characters. This more fluid style - combined with switches between time periods - did impede my ability to tell who was who slightly at the beginning, but as the story progressed I became much more invested in the characters. The wider historical context isn't dealt with in much depth, but as a character study, this is very moving.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

(3.5) This comic follows the life of a gay man in Germany from the 1940s up until the 1980s. The story is a sad one - of repression, not being able to be yourself, and of longing. It is a quiet story that focuses on one man’s life and relationships, and in that aspect I think it is very good. Similar stories have been told many times, but here the setting of post-WWII and Cold War Germany is what makes it stand apart.

The art is absolutely gorgeous - black and white illustrations that were beautifully fluid and looked like painted in ink. I especially liked the depictions of the different cities destroyed by war. I also liked the nonlinear narration and use of flashbacks as well as the overall structure of the book and how the ending tied it together.

I think what felt most jarring to me though was the fact that a lot of the book was set right after WWII with flashbacks to the war itself, in which our main character Karl was a cook, but there wasn’t much reflection about the war included. Yes Karl described it as monstrous and inhumane over beers with coworkers, but especially for such a long book I would have expected to see more of an emotional impact of the war on Karl. The only time we really see this is when he thinks he sees his dead lover in the toilets of a pub. I was also expecting to see more reflection on what inhumanities Germany committed during the war and how the narrator felt being complicit in them - this was probably what I felt was missing from the book the most. I understand that many people would not have reflected on the war in this way, but I think this would have given the story a stronger impact and made Karl a more sympathetic character.

Matthias Lehmann has created a graphic novel telling a story of loneliness, regret, sadness and the suppression of being free to who you want to be. Karl Kling begins to realise he is gay at the end of WWII but has to follow societal norms of marriage - he cannot resist his natural desires and soon his “ secret “ becomes public. The book follows Karl’s reflection upon his life and his wish to make contact with his daughter who has not seen him since the end of a second marriage when he tried to convince himself again he could be the expected “normal “ straight guy. The story reflects the pain that Karl feels and his attempt to tell the story of his life to his daughter in a letter and invite him to his birthday. The story also acknowledges the suffering of his wives who find themselves alone within their marriages, The imagery is simple and in many ways the sparsity mirrors the loneliness and simplicity of Karl’s life and his desire to have the accepted life he has always wanted. Occasionally, it was not easy to determine the difference between certain characters in the drawings but this did not detract from the story. This book shines a light on a group of men who are often forgotten about in a world when many younger people today live within Western European societies where the struggles are not the same -the pain that Karl feels emanates from the pages and tells the story of many lives from the mid 1940s to the 1980s.