This is How I Disappear
CBC Books | | Posted: August 2, 2021 7:39 PM | Last Updated: October 12, 2022
Mirion Malle
Clara's at a breaking point. She's got writer's block, her friends ask a lot without giving much, her psychologist is useless, and her demanding publishing job leaves little time for self care. She seeks solace in the community around her, yet, while her friends provide support and comfort, she is often left feeling empty, unable to express an underlying depression that leaves her immobilized and stifles any attempts at completing her poetry collection. In This is How I Disappear, Mirion Malle paints an empathetic portrait of a young woman wrestling with psychological stress and the trauma following an experience of sexual assault.
Malle displays frankness and a remarkable emotional intelligence as she explores depression, isolation, and self-harm in her expertly-drawn novel. Her heroine battles an onslaught of painful emotions and while Clara can provide consolation to those around her, she finds it difficult to bestow the same understanding unto herself. Only when she allows her community to guide her toward self-love does she find relief.
Filled with 21st century idioms and social media communication, This Is How I Disappear opens a window into the lives of young people as they face a barrage of mental health hurdles. Scenes of sisterhood, fun nights out singing karaoke, and impromptu FaceTime therapy sessions show how this generation is coping, connecting, and healing together. (From Drawn & Quarterly)
Malle displays frankness and a remarkable emotional intelligence as she explores depression, isolation, and self-harm in her expertly-drawn novel. Her heroine battles an onslaught of painful emotions and while Clara can provide consolation to those around her, she finds it difficult to bestow the same understanding unto herself. Only when she allows her community to guide her toward self-love does she find relief.
Filled with 21st century idioms and social media communication, This Is How I Disappear opens a window into the lives of young people as they face a barrage of mental health hurdles. Scenes of sisterhood, fun nights out singing karaoke, and impromptu FaceTime therapy sessions show how this generation is coping, connecting, and healing together. (From Drawn & Quarterly)
This is How I Disappear is a finalist for the 2022 Governor General's Literary Award for French-to-English translation. The winner will be announced on Nov. 16, 2022.
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Mirion Malle is a French cartoonist and illustrator who lives in Montreal. She has published three books. The League of Super Feminists is her first book translated into English and was nominated for the 2020 Prix Jeunesse at the Angoulême International Comics Festival.
Aleshia Jensen is a French to English literary translator. Her recent work includes The League of Super Feminists by Mirion Malle and Prague by Maude Veilleux. Jensen lives in Montreal.