Blue Pills: A Positive Love Story [Hardcover]

Frederik Peeters (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2008

From one of Europe’s most celebrated young comics artists, a deeply personal story that will resonate with all of us who have chosen to love in the face of great challenges

One summer night at a house party, Fred met Cati. Though they barely spoke, he vividly remembered her gracefulness and abandon. They meet again years later, and this time their connection is instantaneous. But when things become serious, a nervous Cati tells him that she and her three-year-old son are both HIV positive. With great beauty and economy, Peeters traces the development of their intimacy and their revelatory relationship with a doctor whose affection and frankness allow them to fully realize their passionate connection. Then Cati’s son gets sick, bringing Fred face to face with death. It forces him to question the meaning of life, illness, and love — until a Socratic dialogue with a mammoth helps him recognize that living with illness is also a gift; it has freed him to savor his life with Cati.

Like the best graphic memoirs, Blue Pills puts a daunting subject into artistic and human terms in a way that is refreshingly honest and profoundly accessible. A brave and unsentimental romance, Blue Pills will resonate with anyone whose love has faced great obstacles and triumphed.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Originally published in Switzerland, Peeters's comics memoir of his romance with an HIV-positive woman named Cati (whose young son is also seropositive) is a new and sweeter kind of AIDS narrative-set in the era when HIV has become a chronic condition rather than a death sentence. There's not much of a plot here (the unnamed boy gets sick, then better; Peeters and Cati panic after a condom breaks, and are reassured by their doctor), but the book is much more about Peeters's fluid, slashing, unfailingly evocative ink brushwork documenting the psychological changes he's gone through. Sure-handedly caricatured facial expressions and body language tell a lot of the story, and almost every page is punctuated with a silent panel or two that suggests the way Peeters's newly expanded awareness of his mortality has made him more aware of the world he lives in, too. The final chapters feature an ingenious visual metaphor: after a doctor tells Peeters that he has "as much chance of catching AIDS as you have of running into a white rhinoceros on your way out," he imagines himself stalked everywhere by the rhino. It's a small gem of a book, whose only real flaw is an ungainly English translation, larded with unfiltered Gallicisms.
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Review

"[Frederik Peeters'] elliptical, atmospheric storytelling style creates waves of surprising emotion." --Alison Bechdel, author of Fun Home

"Passionate and celebratory . . . Profound questions are embraced in delicate details and quiet moments of pleasure." --Craig Thompson, author of Blankets

"If you need to be reminded that people can still love both intelligently and passionately, Blue Pills is for you." --Alexander Chee, author of Edinburgh

"Compelling . . . riveting . . . the drawings of Peeters . . . elevate the book to another level . . . a memoir that ranks with the best." Kirkus Reviews, Starred

"In the unvarnished humanity of the story lies the book's strength and attraction. Excellent." Booklist, ALA

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; None edition (January 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 819062413X
• ISBN-13: 978-0618820993
• ASIN: 061882099X
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #139,566 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All You Need is Love, May 17, 2010

By 

Sam Quixote - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blue Pills: A Positive Love Story (Hardcover)

Frederik Peeters tells the story of his relationship with his wife Cati and her 3 year old son, both of whom are HIV positive. He meets Cati years after meeting her for the first time to find that since their last meeting she has had a child, been divorced, and contracted AIDS. This doesn't stop him from being with her but we learn of the obstacles that come with it. The cautious beginnings of their physical love, the vigilance of maintaining a normal life for the child despite a regime of pills and syrups, and a scare when a condom breaks and Peeters thinks he's contracted the virus (he hasn't).

The book shows a deep and fulfilling love between Peeters and Cati, one that has the spectre of AIDS in the background but never dominating their life to the point where they can't live. They live their life as normal couples do and their relationship is both moving and sweet. The relationship between Peeters and his stepson is also very well told here. The scene when during a house party the 3 year old moves through the guests to where Peeters is sitting on the balcony and then sitting between his legs to play with his toy dinosaurs is very touching and not at all sentimental.

The stark realism of the story is belayed in the final part of the book where the author works out his frustrations and anger with a wise mammoth as they roam the prehistoric plains, the mammoth quoting everyone from Oscar Wilde to Burt Reynolds. The magical realism works and the author comes to realise how he cherishes his wife and son more because of the illness and how through the challenges they have developed a stronger love for each other.

Peeters draws as beautifully as he tells his story, the illustrations being somewhere between Craig Thompson and Jeff Lemire, both masters. The book is a beautiful and moving evocation of love in the face of adversity. Very easy to read, a fascinating story told expertly and lovingly, I recommend it to any and all.

4.0 out of 5 stars A powerful story of love, December 16, 2011

By 

N. Chambers (NYC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blue Pills: A Positive Love Story (Hardcover)

I like the way the book is written, it never falls into a sense of pity or tragedy, despite easily having the doors more than wide open enough to do so. The outlook is refreshing. There are times where the translation seems like it's a bit simpler than it should be, but most of the time, it's great writing. The art is really nice too, but it's the story that really moves you. It's a quick read, but one I could see myself coming back to someday.

5.0 out of 5 stars A memoir like no other, August 27, 2011

By 

Andy Shuping (Macon, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blue Pills: A Positive Love Story (Hardcover)

"Blue Pills" is not your average memoir and neither are the people that you meet in it. It's a powerful, moving, heartwarming, and heartbreaking story all at the same time. You see Frederik Peeters is dating Cati a woman with a young son...and both Cati and her son are HIV positive. The story falters in some places, only because it's been translated into English and some words/phrases don't adapt well. But it's a minor point. Frederik tells their story of life together, of falling in love, of caring for Cati's son, and the ever looming future that is so frighting. He tells the story with a gentle touch, never overwhelming the reader with fear and doubt. Instead he invites us in to their lives, to take a look around, to get to know them in these few short pages and feel like we've known them our entire lives.

The artwork is done in rough, broad ink strokes that at times look like woodcuts from days long ago. They capture Frederik, Cati, and her son and let us see their feelings at a glance. The stark black and white only emphasizes the story being told and helps us get more in tune with it. There are many scenes where there are no words, just the illustrations, and with only a glance you can tell how you're supposed to feel when viewing the image, even without looking at the preceding panels.

The story and the art speak for itself. It doesn't need me or anyone else trying to describe it in so few words. It's a powerful book that's a must read for anyone.