Frida by Sébastien Pérez & Benjamin Lacombe, tr. from the French by Alison Anderson
Published by Ginko Press, 2017
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Short, poetic musings weave together with actual extracts from Frida Kahlo’s diaries to explore some of the most prominent aspects of her life and work. The text is suitably ornate and poignant, but scant enough that neither newcomers nor longstanding fans of Kahlo will glean much of any substance.
The real highlight, however, is Lacombe’s stunning art. He draws heavily on the iconography and style of Kahlo’s own pieces to pay tribute to her genius, exploring the legacy of the trail she blazed.
The House of Former Lovers by Kirsty Logan
Published independently, 2021
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
A short selection of unnerving flash fiction, focussed on the themes of transformation, sexuality, consumption, and the animal within. It is unashamedly strange, but I tend to find that magical realism works best in short, sharp bursts like this, presenting us with a series of striking images and ideas without requiring a prolonged suspension of disbelief.
Each story is accompanied by a two-page illustration by Maria Stoian. These are suitably sumptuous and otherworldly in style and colour palette. A beautiful little chapbook.
This short from Tor Books is about a mission to make contact – and attempt to draw up a peace treaty – with the first newly discovered alien race. It has many hallmarks of classic sci-fi, and is a quick, engaging read, but it’s the subtext that helps this one stand out – even if it does become a little heavy-handed by the end. Essentially, the story is a riff on the idea of what constitutes power, and where, as a society, we place credence. Chiefly, Older asks the reader to consider why we feel compelled to supress pain.
This graphic memoir of Frida Kahlo offers a particularly insightful look into life with chronic pain, and the transformative power of art. It’s very interestingly structured, both in its forgoing of traditional panels in favour of a freeform layout, and in its narrative framing, with the book presented as though a first-person discussion between Kahlo and Death. Having suffered many losses throughout her life, and flirted dangerously close to death many times herself, this has effective thematic resonance.
Callum McLaughlin 