Waves

by Ingrid Chabbert, Carole Maurel (Illustrator)

Overview

A young woman and her wife's attempts to have a child unfold in this poetic tale that ebbs and flows like the sea.

2019 Harvey Award Winner

After years of difficulty trying to have children, a young couple finally announces their pregnancy, only to have the most joyous day of their lives replaced with one of unexpected heartbreak. Their relationship is put to the test as they forge ahead, working together to rebuild themselves amidst the churning tumult of devastating loss, and ultimately facing the soul-crushing reality that they may never conceive a child of their own.

Based on author Ingrid Chabbert’s own experience, coupled with soft, sometimes dreamlike illustrations by Carole Maurel, Waves is a deeply moving story that poignantly captures a woman’s exploration of her pain in order to rediscover hope.

Praise for Waves
This is the kind of book that can drag you down and make you weep, while still sustaining you with its sheer ambition. .... a great example of what makes graphic novels powerful in the hands of truly talented creators. - Huffington Post, Best Graphic Novels of 2019

Simultaneously raw and compassionate, this is a lovely partnership of words and images. The combination of art style and bittersweet memoir will appeal to older teens who enjoy Lucy Knisley’s and Tillie Walden’s work. - School Library Journal

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781684153466
Publisher:	Archaia
Publication date:	05/14/2019
Pages:	96
Sales rank:	495,835
Product dimensions:	6.80(w) x 9.70(h) x 0.60(d)

Editorial Reviews

06/07/2019

Gr 10 Up-Children's author Chabbert shares a personal, emotional story. Readers first meet the unnamed protagonist as she's grieving what seems like the latest in a series of miscarriages. She views her struggles with fertility as a body of water, into which she feels consistently pulled under. News of a successful new pregnancy buoys both her and her wife's spirits until a series of health concerns end in a stillbirth. Maurel's thoughtful illustrations show much of the story through body language and the repeated imagery of water. In an afterword, Chabbert notes her choice to focus on grief and resilience rather than on the practical steps taken to conceive. As such, she and Maurel present a study of emotion itself, the lives of the two characters background noise to their hope and pain. VERDICT Simultaneously raw and compassionate, this is a lovely partnership of words and images. The combination of art style and bittersweet memoir will appeal to older teens who enjoy Lucy Knisley's and Tillie Walden's work.-Ann Foster, Saskatoon Public Library, Sask.

School Library Journal