A review by nimbella
The Two Lives of Penelope by Judith Vanistendael

4.0

This was a very emotional read. This graphic novel gives a snapshot of the life of Penelope, a Belgian MSF surgeon working in Aleppo, who returns home to her husband and daughter for a three-month break, something she's done many times over the past decade. The detailed watercolour style is beautiful and reflects the shaky grip she has on her emotions.

The story really focuses on Penelope's strained relationships with her family and friends, as a result of being away from them for so long. Home life is in stark contrast to the trauma of a war zone and her family's 'first world problems' frustrate her. There are arguments but the novel does a good job of letting you see both sides and you ultimately understand that the situation complicated and there is no easy resolution.

While the art is beautiful, it wasn't always easy to follow as there are no borders or blank spaces between panels and the speech bubbles were not always sequential. Coupled with a watercolour-based style, this meant it was often tricky to tell if something was one or two panels, which tripped me up as I was getting into the flow of reading.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book*