Review: Waves by Ingrid Chabbert, Carole Maurel

Hardcover, 96 pages

Expected publication: May 7th 2019 by Archaia

A young woman and her wife's attempts to have a child unfold in this poetic tale that ebbs and flows like the sea.

After years of difficulty trying to have children, a young couple finally announces their pregnancy, only to have the most joyous day of their lives replaced with one of unexpected heartbreak. Their relationship is put to the test as they forge ahead, working together to rebuild themselves amidst the churning tumult of devastating loss, and ultimately facing the soul-crushing reality that they may never conceive a child of their own.

Based on author Ingrid Chabbert’s own experience, coupled with soft, sometimes dreamlike illustrations by Carole Maurel, Waves is a deeply moving story that poignantly captures a woman’s exploration of her pain in order to rediscover hope.

Sometimes we drown, drinking in the sea. A sea as red as a heart that's stopped beating.

Waves is the true story of author Ingrid Chabbert's terrible loss of a child. After years of trying to have a child, Ingrid and her wife finally anounce that Ingrid is pregnant. But the pregnancy is problematic, with blood loss and pain and struggle, and finally, a surgery to remove the dead child inside of her. Ingrid is drowning in a sea of pain, heartbreak and loss as she is trying to move forward when her heart seems it had stopped beating. She channels the pain through writing, and discovers a passion she did not know, storytelling.

This graphic novel also explores the birth of Ingrid Chabbert as a children books writer, her recovery and is filled with beautiful illustrations. I particularly liked how the colors turned to gray after the loss of their child, with little spots of color on the journals she writes on, the clothes of people who inspire her to move on, and gradually return to everything as her journey of healing continues.

I wish the author portrayed the struggles of trying to conceive this baby as well, it would've added a lot more depth to the story but I understand her point of view - not wanting this to be yet another story about two women trying to have a baby, as she points out in the ending of the book. A very touching story I wholeheartedly recommend to people going through a similar experience.