Horizontal Collaboration by Navie & Carole Maurel | Book Review

Horizontal Collaboration by Navie (writing) & Carole Maurel (art) | translated from the French by Margaret Morrison
Published by Korero Press, 2019 (first published in 2017)
My rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

“Horizontal collaboration” is a term coined to describe French women who embarked on romantic or sexual relationships with German soldiers during Occupation. This graphic novel opens in the present day, with a young woman visiting her elderly grandmother, lamenting the complexities of modern love. This inspires her grandmother to finally open up about her own past, divulging the details of a tragic love affair she became entangled in back in 1942.

Though the context of war clearly plays an important part in setting up the story, and it does indeed loom ominously in the background, the focus is placed firmly on the characters and the intricacies of their everyday lives. With much of the story set in a single apartment building, weaving in and out of the various inhabitants’ lives, we are presented with a microcosm of society at the time. This allows the author to show us the universal struggles that continued to dominate even in times of international crisis. From petty squabbles with the neighbours, to issues of domestic violence, and from secret love affairs, to quiet struggles with sexuality; this book touches on so much of the human experience.

The characters themselves are realistically flawed and complex. Within the relatively short scope of the story, the author manages to paint a picture of the moral dilemmas that people were forced to navigate day to day, and the divide between those who acted in aid of the greater good, and those who served only themselves.

The book has its moments of charm and hope, but it doesn’t shy away from the harsh reality many people faced under Occupation. Indeed, there were at least four occasions when I felt like I’d been punched in the gut. My only slight critique is how fast moving the narrative was on occasion, which meant it took me some time to get to grips with the dynamic between the numerous characters. That said, the art is a huge factor in the success of any graphic novel, and Maurel’s style is gorgeous; ideally suited to the story being told. Rich, vivid and expressive, her work is at its best when she employs aesthetically striking and emotionally haunting imagery. If the story was a solid 4 star read for me, the artwork more than earned the book that coveted 5th star.

An example of the book’s typical art style (left), and some of the more abstract imagery employed during key moments (right).

I’ve deliberately avoided plot specifics, as I went into this somewhat blind, and would encourage others to do the same if possible. I loved watching the highs and lows of these characters’ lives unfold, and it’s a story I know will stay with me. I sincerely hope Navie and Maurel will team up again in the future; their styles working here in perfect harmony.

***

If you’d like to give Horizontal Collaboration a go, you can pick up a copy with free shipping from Book Depository by clicking here. If you’ve already read it, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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War Horse | Theatre Review

Show: War Horse
Venue: SEC Armadillo, Glasgow
Date: 19^th January 2019
Director: Marianne Elliot & Tom Morris
Writer: Nick Stafford, adapted from the book by Michael Morpurgo
Music: Adrian Sutton
Principal cast: Thomas Dennis (Albert Narracott), Jo Castleton (Rose Narracott), Gwilym Lloyd (Ted Narracott), Joelle Brabban (Emilie), & Peter Becker (Friedrich)

The iconic West End show finally made its way to Glasgow as part of a three year UK tour, celebrating the play’s 10th anniversary. Having booked tickets to see it more than two years ago, it’s been a long wait, but I can wholeheartedly say it was worth every moment.

This is easily one of the best and most powerful theatre shows I’ve ever seen. The stunning puppetry work brought the animals to life in a way that was far more captivating that I could ever have imagined. It’s a cliché line, but it really is something that has to be seen to be believed – or at least to be fully appreciated. Really, I can’t praise the horse designers (Adrian Kohler and Basil Jones) or the team of performers that animated them highly enough. It’s of no disservice to the performances of the rest of the cast to say that Joey and his fellow war horse, Topthorn, were far and away the most expressive, enigmatic presences on stage. To pull that off, and to have them provoke genuine pathos, sympathy, fear, and elation during almost every emotional beat of the story (of which there are many), is an incredible achievement.

Production stills, courtesy of War Horse on Stage.

The show is loyal to the general arc of the book’s narrative, which I was pleased to see. Any changes they made felt entirely justified for a visual medium, and worked well to drive home the play’s themes of the futility of war, and the human capacity for both immense cruelty and genuine kindness in times of conflict.

The quality and attention to detail across all departments enhanced the immersive nature of the production, with perhaps the best use of lighting and sound design I’ve seen; impeccably implemented music; clever projection work; and truly haunting imagery. It really is a feast for the senses; the piercing crack of bullets, the terrified shrieks of horses, and every ominous wisp of fog drawing the viewer further in. Indeed, the brutality of World War I is captured with such intense clarity that it can’t fail to resonate on an emotional level. The Armadillo is a sizable venue, but you could practically feel the tension in the air; every member of the audience equally enthralled by what was playing out on stage.

I could keep gushing, but suffice to say that War Horse is more than just a play; it’s an experience. One I would urge everyone to try for themselves if and when they can.

***

You can find details about the current tour here, or you can pick up a copy of the book that inspired it here. If you’ve already seen the show, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

War

We cannot hear a tear fall
but it’s there.
It lives in a childless mother’s vacant stare.

We cannot see a broken heart
but it’s there.
It lives in a father stripped of son and heir.

We cannot hear a life of pain
but it’s there.
It lives in infants to whom a smile is rare.

We cannot see a world of darkness
but it’s there.
It lives in those who think that this is fair.

We cannot find a way to help
but it’s there.
The first drop to end a drought is just to care.

Wake Up

What will it take
for your eyes to be opened
to the chaos that thrives in our wake?

How many lives must be lost
to our greed
for the bloodshed to come to a halt?

The devil waits not by the gates to hell.
He lives in you.
He lives in me.

Wickedness whispered in susceptible ears,
hearts distorted by a blackness of spirit
rotting us from our very core.

But we have one defence that should never relent.
Love; compassion;
humanity.

Heaven is not a place on Earth,
it’s a world in which we spread only respect;
an ideal reserved for storybooks it seems.

—
I don’t often put a message with my poems but this one came from a place of true dismay, hence the simplicity of its words and meaning. There are an awful lot of things happening in the world right now that quite frankly make me feel ashamed to be part of the human race. It’s time we learned to respect each other as fellow human beings; nothing more, nothing less.