UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN

A debut graphic memoir exploring a problematic, peripatetic coming-of-age.

Qian’s life began in Toronto; depictions of family photos record moments from her early childhood that she retains no memories of. What she does recall are snowy adventures with her father; meals made by her nurturing maternal grandmother, PoPo; and the shadowy figure of her disengaged mother. Her parents fought constantly and eventually divorced, splitting custody equally. Qian’s time with her mom, a hoarder, grew unpredictable, even dangerous, and she eagerly anticipated days with her dad. Beyond her fear, shame, and even “a sort of hatred,” a young Qian understood little of her mother’s struggles. For some time, her mom vanished from her life, and she began moving constantly around British Columbia and Ontario with her father. The dislocation took an emotional toll, as did her mother’s occasional reappearances. Eventually, Qian and her dad moved to Shanghai to be near her mom and maternal grandparents. Five years later, Qian entered college in New York. She achieved her dream of studying illustration and the distance ultimately helped her better understand her family and herself, but along the way she struggled with disordered eating and the pressure to be financially independent. The saturated, limited color palette of this visually stunning work underscores the heavy emotions. Particularly affecting is Qian’s pronounced use of black, which replicates the recurring absences that marked her young life.

Notably resonant pages vividly convey the splintered family dynamics of an artist’s childhood.