Exploring Family Bonds and Loss in Yvan Alagbè’s Graphic Novel ‘Misery of Love’

Each death carries a unique imprint, much like a fingerprint. While patterns emerge through factors such as race, nationality, family ties, and religion, every loss creates a distinct void. This concept is vividly captured in French cartoonist Yvan Alagbè’s graphic novel, 'Misery of Love,' where a sequence of images conveys this profound absence.

The narrative is set in motion by the passing of the Genet family’s patriarch and matriarch. Their granddaughter, Claire, attends their joint funeral, reflecting on her own painful estrangement after being disowned by her father, Michel, for her relationship with Alain, an undocumented Black immigrant.

'Misery of Love' unfolds through the viewpoints of Claire, Michel, and Alain. Their memories interweave to fill narrative gaps for the reader, though not always for each other. With its non-linear, interlaced timelines, the story delves deeply into the challenges of living with past decisions and the legacies passed down across generations.

Alagbè’s minimalist character depictions—rendered in just a few brushstrokes and fragments of dialogue (translated by Donald Nicholson-Smith)—combine economy with richness. The artist’s fascination with physicality shines through: bodies collide in moments of passion, birth, and violence. Even during Claire’s solitary walk in the woods, Alain’s presence lingers in her visions, embracing her among the trees. Conversations about past and present transgressions weave throughout the extended Catholic funeral.

Alagbè achieves a remarkable technical feat with each page, predominantly composed of two ink-wash panels, many without any text, yet his characters emerge with striking vitality from the grayscale. One page contrasts intimate scenes of Claire and Alain together in bed with a moment where Claire recounts her childhood home while walking down a familiar street, accompanied by an image of young Claire standing at the foot of a staircase.