Parallel is a graphic novel that follows an old man, Karl who writes a letter to his estranged daughter. Karl is retired and now with nothing to do, he keeps re-visiting his pasts, with things that could have been handled better.
Parallel talks about the struggle and the painful experience Karl goes through for being gay in the early 1900s in Germany. People had to be on constant lookouts all day long. Meeting secrets weren’t safe either. They were beaten up, arrested, and shunned from the society for kissing another man.
Karl revisits his life and we get to see people from his past coming to life. The illustrations were done particularly well. Women he married because of societal pressure and men he was in love with.
It also makes me wonder how not a lot has changed in many parts of the world and how lagging we are. Parallel feels like a salute to every queer person who never gave up.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

The emotions running through Matthias Lehmann's graphic novel Parallel are prevalent from its first pages. They bleed over onto each following page, attaching themselves to the reader until it's almost overwhelming.

The story follows an older gay man as he recounts his life to his estranged daughter through a letter, unfolding a spellbinding story of longing and fear. Lehmann crafts this story so perfectly, the life you're reading about feels so authentic it's staggering at times.

It's one of the best graphic novels of the last decade, and truly unveils a timely and poignant story.

Karl is a recent retiree, estranged from his daughter and alone to think about his life. He served in the German army during World War II, a lucky guy that didn't have to go through Nuremberg. His wife was pretty and wealthy, with his father-in-law giving him a great job and a healthy baby at home. Karl should have reveled in the prosperity. He had what most men dream of after a great war.

Just one problem: Karl is gay. He likes men. And he got caught kissing a random stranger while drunk.

The story is like the opposite of Alison Bechdel's memoir Fun Home. Alison described how her father was a gay or bisexual man that would go on trysts with underage boys while holding his family and house to impossible standards. Karl is no Bruce Bechdel, but he does make mistakes, lots of them, while coming to terms with his sexuality. He lies to his first and second wife, neglecting them in favor of his needs while going for long walks after work.

You understand why Karl is the way he is, while understanding he was selfish. He would leave and vanish, but mentions he doesn't want to grow old and alone. Being gay is also illegal in Germany, as seen when he gets his first lover arrested. Not even his retiree friends know when talking about fixing him up with women his age. Maybe writing a letter to his daughter, while she faces the Berlin wall, will change things. Or it may not.

Haunting, and a reminder that hate from the past is never far away.

Although it hews close to reality, it's difficult to sympathise with Karl. Art is sometimes inscrutable.

I really wanted to get to this one, as it seemed interesting. This was requested when I first found out about NetGalley and I had requested so many ARCs that I could not get to all of them before they were archived. If I can find this somewhere for a reasonable price, I will try to get it!

An interesting story, but I struggled with the illustrations. It was hard to tell characters apart sometimes. I wish this book was longer so we could sit in the moments longer.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Oni Press for this arc!

5/5 stars!

This story was as heartwrenching as it was beautiful. The art, the story, everything was just so so good and devastating. I've ordered this for my store, and am looking forward to seeing this in print 🩵🩵🩵🩵

Thank you very much for the opportunity to read this book early! I really enjoyed it. I thought the writing was very well done, and the story kept me interested. I also loved the illustrations, I believe my students/patrons would also love this book and will be acquiring it for the library!

Parallel is both beautiful and heart-wrenching. It is easy to forget how much freedom the LGBTQ community has gained and how hard and dangerous things were only so recently. Takes place in post-World War II Germany through to the late eighties, following a gay man’s journey as he struggles to exist an a world that rejects him.

Really rather beautiful - set in a hugely evocative setting. Longing and sorrow and melancholy are vivid in the gorgeous artwork, and the story told is hugely touching

A moving and heart wrenching graphic novel that is so beautifully drawn and crafted. I spent much of reading these trying to hold back my tears.

The story telling was great, I love the back and forth between the past and the present and how complex the history was. The reading was definitely emotional, I just wished the ending was not so abrupt. It felt like tension was built up and up and up and in the end, the conclusion seemed hurried.

This is such a moving story; quite heartbreaking from the get go. The graphic novel looks at the cruel existence of being gay in 1950s Germany. The main character, Karl, hurts a lot of people in his life making it a little hard for me sympathise with him but his situation is a difficult one I have no experience of. The monochromatic artwork is quite striking but difficult to tell some characters apart at times. Well worth the read.

Parallel’s art is beautiful, and the post-World War II setting captured well. The book explores the complexities of gay men and women during this period, particularly the necessity of blending into society for fear of violence and loneliness. However, I found the ending too abrupt and wished there had been more resolution. I also found it a standard narrative with few surprises or characters of real interest.

Absolutely brilliant, I do not know what to say more. I learned so much! 5 stars and I'll try to incorporate in my classes at university

One of those bittersweet books. We love queer books but sometimes it can be heartbreaking, especially when it is set in a time where the world was not as tolerant.

Non-American comic creations are like a fresh breeze blowing across the anglo-dominated wasteland of visual arts sometimes. Parallel captures the backdrop of post-WWII Germany beautifully, Lehmann clearly having dedicated himself to historical research as well as the studying of panel-based storytelling. Characters in this book are not depicted as traditionally beautiful, nor is the protagonist particularly likeable - but it's a viscerally human story brought onto the page in monochrome, aquarelle-like strokes in a way I definitely could not take on.

This book took place during a time where it was illegal to be gay in Germany. The MC had to hide who he truly was and had two failed marriages because of it. I can’t even imagine… but I was feeling all the emotions right there with Karl. A truly heartbreaking story.

Thank you to Netgalley for the eARC!

This was heartbreaking, which should be obvious with the content going in. It was emotionally difficult to get through but so, so good.

Our MC, Karl, is trying to find his way through life in Germany while being gay in the 1950's. Without giving too much away, his main internal struggle is between family love and romantic love. His whole life is filled with struggles and it's devastating. What's more is how recent in history it is and it breaks my heart.

I really wanted to read this because I'm queer and both grandparents on both sides immigrated from Germany to North America I grew up hearing stories of Germany, but of course none of them talk about queer issues. This feels like it is filling in a gap in my heritage.

My one issue with this graphic novel is sometimes I lost track of what timeline we were in. That could be because I was reading on my phone, but it threw me out of the story sometimes. It's not nearly enough to deter me from reading it or recommending it to someone though.

Just be cautious of what mindset you are in before going into this. It can be really rough.