On sale date: April 8, 2025
This lyrical graphic novel paints a captivating portrait of two women in search of themselves.
Feeling adrift after her daughter leaves the nest, Rita makes the audacious move to model nude for a live drawing class. There, she meets Esther, an artist who sees beyond the superficial and captures people’s true essences in her drawings. The two connect as kindred spirits, each recognizing in the other an oddball nature that marks them as outcasts. Through this endearing relationship, Esther and Rita defy how the world sees them and learn to feel comfortable in their own skin.
Skin is the striking debut graphic novel by writer Mieke Versyp and illustrator Sabien Clement. In this seamless collaboration, poetic turns of phrase pair with impressionistic watercolors, creating a tangible intimacy between words and imagery. Keen observation and dynamic artistry combine to tell a tender story of the human condition, as playful and devastating as life itself.
Praise
"This innovative and emotionally resonant debut [portrays] the ways tenderness can triumph over isolation." — Publishers Weekly
"Clement's dreamy watercolors swirl underneath Versyp's lyrical text. ... This is a book that sticks with you, one that bears multiple readings to fully savor the artistry of both images and text." — Cinema Sentries
"This striking impressionistic debut explores the inner worlds of two women in different life stages who seek to break conformity and find their true selves beyond the skin-deep. ... A meditative work that will appeal especially to women at every stage, from mourning daughters to lonely mothers and everyone in between." — Booklist
"Ingenious, poetic and at times emotional tale about bodily physicality, intimacy, embarrassment and vulnerability. Honest and tender." — NRC
"An engaging, intimate and expressive portrait of two women, with exciting and vivid drawings." — 9e Kunst
Specs
- Pages
- 288
- Format
- Hardback
- Color
- Full-color.
- Dimensions
- 8.2" × 11"
- ISBN-13
- 9798875000430