‘Parallel’ isn’t a fluffy happily-ever-after graphic novel, despite what the cover shows. Matthias Lehmann exposes the life-endangering difficulties of being gay in an era where homosexuality is a sin. I want to preference that there is a fair amount of triggers here including homophobia (derogatory words, police brutality) and suicide. However, it’s incredibly important to understand history especially since the LGBTQ+ community still faces many of the same discriminations today.

We follow Karl who is torn between his desire for men and his family (wife and child). The story switches between his present state as a retiree writing a letter to his daughter who disowned him, and his past. Karl continuously tries to adhere to societal norms, ignore his pull towards men, and accept his heterosexual marriage. Through Karl’s life experience he learns that hiding your true self is not the way to live, but sometimes it is the only way to survive.

Note: This review will be posted on @tealiterature sometime in May. Link will be added.

Mathias Lehmann’s “Parallel” is a gripping and emotionally moving graphic novel about a gay man’s life after WWII. Karl comes out of the war, and he wants to start a brand new life for himself. As a gay man, he has no real options except the stifling confines of heterosexual marriage unless he wants to be arrested. Lehmann’s graphic novel shows what a repressive and homophobic society can do to a gay man. Karl is bullied and arrested, and he repeatedly tries to live a heterosexual life. Lehmann does a fantastic job of highlighting how a gay man in fifties Germany (and beyond) would have to constantly be on guard as not to reveal his sexuality. A look, a word, or a small gesture could get a gay man arrested. Lehmann ties this into a post-War Germany where everyone is on edge and looking to rebuild their lives. They see the gay men as the ultimate betrayal of the typical German family.

The book does not turn Karl into a martyr or some superhuman character. He’s a flawed man who lives through a hellish time in his life and in German’s history. He causes pain for those around him because he can not be himself. I especially appreciated how Lehmann writes the character of Karl’s wife, Liselotte because she is allowed to have her own voice and depth of feeling. She’s not just the wronged wife. She’s a woman who has also learned to accept the life she’s been given but she refused to be a victim.

I have a few minor quibbles with the book. There are a couple of very minor typos (around three if I remember correctly) in the book. They don’t spoil anything, but they are there. There are also a few times when I was not sure who was speaking. In the beginning of the novel, I was confused by two female characters who looked a bit alike. As the story goes on, I didn’t have that problem.

As a side note, I think the cover is gorgeous.
#Parallel #Netgalley #Mathiaslehmann #gaylit #gaygraphicnovel

Parallel by Matthias Lehmann is a graphic novel that challenges readers to sympathize with a character who is anything but likable.

The story follows Karl, a former member of the German military, and his life as a closeted gay man. It might make some readers uncomfortable that, conscripted or not, Karl was a member of the army during World War II. This book is a reflection on his life and the decisions that have left him estranged from his daughter. Through a letter, we learn of the series of events that left Karl with broken marriages, incomplete relationships, and the price paid for being unwilling or unable to live your truth.

I found Karl to be a mostly unlikeable character. There are times when he seems selfish and delusional to the point of narcism. However, despite his numerous flaws, the author manages to humanize him, making readers feel for him deeply. The tragedy of his life seems Shakespearean at times. And the story shows just how much pain and suffering could be avoided if people were allowed to be themselves. The book aptly earns the title Parallel as the audience bounces between the past and the present. This story has so many layers that discussing them without giving away the plot is difficult. There is a complex morality in all the characters in this novel. However, that's what draws me into narratives like this one. It's easy to write good stories about good people, but it is much more challenging to get your audience to buy in when your protagonist is kind of a hapless jerk.

I wasn't blown away by the art, but I liked it well enough. The settings were the most enjoyable part for me. The facial expression was more impressionistic, but Lehmann really nails body language. There were some frames that really captured the immensity of the scene. However, it almost felt like those are where he focused his efforts, while artistically, he treated the rest of the frames like filler to get to the big moments. The storyboarding was impeccable, though. It moved the reader through the narrative in an almost movie-like manner (which is what good graphic novels do.) The last image is perfect.

Parallel would be an excellent read for anyone who likes a morally challenging storyline. It's great for readers who love character-driven storytelling and enjoy slower-paced, almost meandering narratives.

This story was heartbreaking and a sense of loneliness hung over both stories; past and present for Karl. Karl was an incredibly flawed main character but it was interesting to see the differences in his point of view when he was young versus old. I can’t say I liked him because it was so frustrating to watch him make the same mistakes; but he was written morally gray for a reason and it told an important story. That being said, I struggled to differentiate at times between the characters due to the art style. I wish we got to learn more about the family he found later in life but I liked the little blips we did see

Firstly, overall I thought this book was deeply moving and beautiful. However, I had some issues with it.

Following a flawed main character in two time periods, we encounter many faces. Unfortunately, the (undeniably wonderful) graphic style makes some of the faces extremely hard to differentiate. At one point, I found myself flicking back and forth to see if I was missing distinguishing markings. Given that not everyone gets a name, it requires a bit of focus to keep the characters in order.

I would’ve liked a little more from his would-be found family. A group of queer people supporting one another through a time of true struggle. I understand the character moving on when he did but I would’ve liked more of that dynamic.

It felt very lonely, which is ostensibly what the author wished to make us feel, but it was also very frustrating. Seeing the main character make the same mistakes is frustrating (albeit arguably, very human).

All of that aside, I do think I walked away having gained an insight into the complexities of being queer at a time when it was literally illegal to be so. Also some of the graphics are truly gorgeous.

I recievd an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 3.5-4 stars

Wasn’t 100% what I was expecting but it’s really worth checking out to see the story

Thanks for the arc

I recievd an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Parallel was sadly a little underwhelming for me. For one reason or another, I found it difficult to connect with the protagonist and the characters- it could be that they didn't really seem to exist beyond the sexuality conflict. Obviously, that's the focus of this book, and I think these stories desperately need to be told- but I think this one dimensionality undermines the themes the book is trying to sell. I only put this book down yesterday, and already I couldn't tell you a single character's name. Parallel is also genreally a pretty bleak read, it also begins to blur together a little, and I think this contributed to how emotionally distant I felt when reading it: for me as a reader, it kind of made me shut down. Obviously, I wasn't exactly expecting a rom-com, but I think Parallel could still have used a few moments of levity, particularly with the protagonist's family, if only to drive home what he was so afraid of losing.

That said, I didn't hate Parallel: the backdrop was interesting, and although the art didn't always work for me, (sometimes characters, locations, etc. blurred together or expressions were difficult to read. ) I really liked how Lehmann depicted environments and buildings. I think the post-WWII Germany setting is one of the strongest aspects of the book, and I liked how that was woven so seamlessly into the narrative. On the other hand, I felt that the pacing was sometimes a little odd: I would have liked a clearer visual delineaiton between past and present, since that opportunity was available with this being a graphic novel.

This is arguably spoiler territory, so if you're especially nervy about them, skip this paragraph, but I'll keep this vague as possible: I have a massive peeve about books that build up to a particular event, only to cut off without letting that event play out in full. I understand why it was done here, but I don't think it works. It's unsatisfying as a reader, and I think it's a huge disservice to the themes, since this book is so much about repression and secrecy and how toxic it can be: to not see the conversation that the whole book balances on play out- to not get even a glimpse of the other side of the story- was massively dissapointing to me.

Although it is exciting to see more historical fiction centred around queerness, particularly in the graphic novel space, Parallel simply wasn't for me. I feel extremely little, looking back on the experience of reading it, though I doubt this will be anyone's experience. If you're considering it, I'd recommend reading some other reviews as well, because while I wouldn't recommend it, I wouldn't warn someone else away from it either. It's at times like these I really wish GoodReads allowed half-star ratings: I feel so neutral about this, 2.5 stars is really the only possible rating I could give it.

This was an interesting graphic novel with a very emotional overarching story. The format was at some points quite confusing with the time jumps which made it quite difficult to stay connected to the story and characters.

The cover of the UK edition of this new graphic novel by Matthias Lehmann shows the striking contrast between a life lived in colour (living your truth) and a life lived in black and white (hiding). Lehmann's story of Karl Kling takes us back to a time in Germany, not so long ago, when it was illegal to love freely .

Karl is gay and is unable to completely turn his back on this aspect of his life and his desire to love and be loved by a man. He does try to conform with society's expectations by marrying and becoming a father, but he still seeks out intimacy with men and at this time, it could only lead to trouble.

The story moves between post WWII and 1980s Germany, where we see Karl newly retired and ruminating on his life and the decisions he has made along the way. The shift in time is not marked, which helps portray a sense that Karl's past is still very much fresh in his mind and that despite him ageing and Germany changing, he hasn't found the fulfillment he wished for in order to progress in his relationships. The story itself is touching and rings true for the experiences of far too many gay people across the world, not just in the past but in contemporary society too.

Lehmann's style is reminiscent of Raymond Briggs' Ethel and Ernest, except the figures have a slightly unfinished feel which I interpreted as a visual representation of the way in which Karl's life is forever incomplete. I have seen reviews that criticise the imagery, saying that they couldn't tell the difference between some of the male characters. While I think this was Lehmann's intention, I didn't find it to be an issue myself, in fact it made me pore over each sequence with more care; as I was asking myself 'who is Karl?', more often than not he was asking himself the same thing in the story. Lehmann's full page illustrations also create a mise-en-scene; from snowy nights in the deserted back alleys of Frankfurt to clear spring days by a swimming lake ; Karl's mood was represented perfectly throughout.

This didn't totally work for me. I've been trying to find a way to articulate why and I've still not entirely landed on an answer.

On the surface it is exactly as advertised, two parallel stories focusing on the life of Karl. The majority of the book centers around his life as a young/middle aged man as he fights his queer desire and the families that he has started. The rest is his current life in the 80s as a retired man reaching out to an estranged daughter, she is the one he is telling this story of his early life trying to explain why he was so absent from her childhood. Some of it may be the abrupt ending, the rest of the story is tinged in a heavy dose of misery -- to be expected given the subject and the time period and everything -- and it feels a little bit happy it's over.

I liked some of the artistic choices that were made, the art is very pretty throughout but there were times where I struggled to tell who was meant to be who. I do think there is some same face issues. There were times when characters were difficult to distinguish between, and this wasn't helped by the fact that you'd sometimes meet someone in one part of time timeline before you met them in the other.

I know at least some of this is my own fault, my personal taste for historical fiction is extremely specific and often hard to pin down. I mean obviously this wasn't going to be a happy story, and I think at this point with everything going on in the real world for queer people I just don't have the tolerance I used to for queer stories that don't have a little bit of happiness.

This was a beautiful book. The graphic novel follows Karl in the present and interweaving through his memories of a life lived as a closeted gay man in Germany in the late 20th century.

The art style is gorgeous, and the narrative is powerful. Really enjoyed this one.

I absolutely loved this book! The story, the connection Karl had with others, etc. The book is meant to take place in Germany, in the aftermath of WWII, as a closeted gay man comes to terms with his sexuality. Even then, there are a lot of elements that are still relevant today. I really liked the dialogue. I also really liked the way there were pages without any dialogue at all, but they still advanced the storyline pretty well. The only thing that was occasionally hard was that this book is written primarily as flashbacks and it was sometimes hard to keep track of chronological jumps. The main character is now older and the book is written as though he is telling his entire life story to his adult daughter. But overall, the book was written super well.

Parallel is the story of a man who struggles to come to terms with his own sexuality and tries to hide it in a time when it's still a crime. Karl goes back to his German home after fighting in WW II, gets married and has a child. However, his secret is eventually uncovered, and he's forced to leave his family and move to Leipzig. There he meets Lieselotte and has another child - this time, a girl - but he soon falls into the same patern of going out and finding male partners, which again affects his family. Many years later, seeking to reconcile with his estranged daughter Hella, he writes to her to tell his story and everything she should know about him.

Karl wanted the best of two worlds, as he was scared of growing old alone and therefore felt like he needed a traditional family, but at the same time, he couldn't hold back his most intimate desires. He was attracted to men and couldn't fight it. It's really sad that he had to hide it in order to obey the rules and not be arrested or become an outcast. It's also easy to feel compassion for Lieselotte and Hella considering everything they had to go through, struggling with the absence of Karl when he was out drinking and meeting other men. Ultimately, Parallel shows how prejudice and intolerance can harm people and stop them from being their true selves and living life as they wish. It's a bittersweet story with beautiful art. The only thing I didn't like much was how repetitive it felt at times: we see Karl doing the same things over and over again, with similar outcomes. It ends up dragging a bit. Those 400+ pages could have been cut shorter had the author been more concise, and the point would still get across fine. But it's a great graphic novel anyway, and I recommend it to anyone who's interested in the subject or who likes historical drama.

This was a beautiful, harrowing and darkly truthful story of the suppression of identity and oppression, and how this ultimately serves no one. I found it particularly interesting to view characters close to the LGBTQ+ characters, and how they were affected or hurt by the experienc, directly and indirectly. How although people may observe "gay marriage has been legal for ages!!", the damage is still palpable and vivid to the individuals and their families affected. Emotional, human, complex, Parallel is a wonderful graphic novel that is beautiful, brutal and honest.

[3.5 rounded up]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Parallel tells the story of Karl Kling in a dual timeline format -- older Karl in his present life in 1980s Germany, freshly retired; and young Karl as a WWII veteran in 1950s Germany. It shows Karl writing a letter to his daughter, who has disowned him many years prior, and reminiscing about his life in the process. A good portion of this is how he was forced to live a double life -- trying desperately to have a family so he wouldn't be alone while secretly gay at a time when it was a crime.

This was a heartbreaking story. It was not a fun or joyful read; it wasn't supposed to be. It was, however, quite timely given the human rights violations happening around the world, particularly the US. It's painful to realize this was the reality for so many people, and that it may be coming right back around.

Karl is portrayed unapologetically as he is -- a flawed man. He desperately wants to have a family and he puts those families through the wringer. But yet you also can't help but feel for him because how difficult must it be to have to deny your true self? To not be able to love who you want to love?
It was nice to see him portrayed in both a way that could make you angry at him for the way he treated those around him but also sympathetic to him because of what he was going through.

My biggest complaints were:
1. The time jumps were sometimes difficult to keep track of as all the panels looked the same regardless of timeline and it jumped around quite a lot.
2. I had trouble keeping up with who was who as many of the characters looked quite similar.
3. The text was also sometimes hard for me to read on Karl's letter to his daughter without zooming in.

I did also feel like we were missing big parts of the story. This book was so long, yet there was so much left out. It shows Present Day Karl going to visit two people who Past Karl had a major falling out with, but yet I didn't feel as though it was properly explained how they all ended up friends again? Also wasn't completely certain exactly what happened with him and his daughter. Unless I missed something, which is entirely possible. This probably would be one that would require rereading a few times to be able to fully understand it.

The ending was nice but abrupt. I scrolled past the last panel and had to go back because I thought I had skipped something by accident. But perhaps the open-ended ending was the best thing for this story.

At its core, the story is important, and that made me rate it higher despite its flaws. Not a light read, but an important one.

This was a really good graphic novel, at times I felt it was a little slow paced, but it was absolutely worth it.

Like a lot of graphic novels, Parallel is just a snippet into the characters’ lives. You drop in and drop back out before you even know it. Unfortunately, by the time I was getting into the story, it was already over!

The art, however, is gorgeous, and I love the mix of styles. It’s work giving a read just to explore Lehmann’s illustrations.

This is an emotive story portrayed beautifully through the art, flashbacks and the honesty of a fathers letter to his estranged daughter. A story about sexuality, family, love and the fear with being true to one’s self as well as the pressures of a society that doesn’t accept you.

Shifting between the present and past, Karl in his retirement was able to reflect on his past through his letter to his daughter. I found it really interesting how this delved into Karl’s outlook on his sexuality, his shame and desire. The story starts from the moment where he starts to question himself as we witness how his first marriage fell through and the tension that arises and forced to restarts his life.

I really liked the artwork and how the layered ink drawing often leading into the darkness, the scenery and emptiness in those panel’s reflected the mood. Switching between detailed facial expressions when it’s close up showing characters deep in thought and from afar with little detail, the expression and emotions were portrayed really well.

I enjoyed this graphic novel and how it demonstrates and portrays homophobia really well and the brutality of it, the fear victims have and how accusations and rumours spiral but among this, the hope of a new and accepting generation and a promise of rebuilding broken relationships- a stark contrast to the high stress and tension in the flashbacks.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Oni Press for sending me this ARC in exchange for a review.

An interesting look into history from a queer perspective. Its very slice of life, very mundane. I wish the ending was less abrupt, it left the reader feeling like a chapter or two were missing

An enjoyable short read, but not a favorite

• english below • rating with CAWPILE •

Parallel es una historia cruda sobre el ser homosexual en la Alemania del siglo XX. Karl, nuestro protagonista, siempre quiso una familia, su mayor miedo era llegar a estar solo cuando estuviera viejo. Sin embargo, durante la guerra, crea un lazo con un compañero y desde entonces su vida se divide entre: querer una familia o ser él (con todos los peligros que eso conllevaba).

Como todo humano, es egoísta y, aunque le hace mucho daño a otras personas, sigue allí tratando de obtener ambas cosas. Sin darse cuenta que no pueden coexistir la una con la otra.

Karl no es un protagonista que vayas a querer pero, sí lo entenderás (aunque no estés de acuerdo a sus decisiones).

Y si bien él sufrió por su sexualidad, la historia nos muestra a personas que la pasaron peor. Como esa sociedad los repudiaba, los perseguía, les hacían la vida imposible hasta cansarse.

Tuvo sus momentos tristes.

Con el final entendemos que puede haber un futuro donde Karl sea libre, tal vez con ello logre ser mejor persona.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Parallel is a gritty story about being gay in 20th century Germany. Karl, our protagonist, always wanted a family, his biggest fear was to be alone when he was old. However, during the war, he creates a bond with a partner and since then his life is divided between: wanting a family or being him (with all the dangers that entailed).

Like every human, he is selfish and even though he hurts other people a lot, he is still there trying to get both. Without realizing that they cannot coexist with each other.

Karl is not a protagonist that you are going to love, but you will understand him (even if you do not agree with his decisions).

And while he suffered for his sexuality, the novel shows us people who had it worse. Since that society repudiated them, persecuted them, made their lives miserable until they got tired.

The book had some sad moments.

With the end we understand that there may be a future where Karl is free, maybe with it he will be a better person.