Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Unlike the bright cover art for James Albon’s ‘Love Languages’, chapter one of the graphic novel begins on a gloomy note, with Sarah, the protagonist spilling her coffee and generally having a shitty day. She is an Englishwoman quietly suffocating in Paris, struggling with the language, and while she is in a good position at work, it seems like an awful job dominated by unlikable men.
The setting Paris of course might evoke typical ideas of love and romance in an international reader’s mind. Creator James Albon leans into the ‘popular’ image of the city by opening the book with a colorful image of tourists along the Eiffel Tower and Seine, mostly happy couples saying sweet nothings to each other. Or you know – talking in their love languages.
The artwork in “Love Languages” is a mix of sketch-book and painting styles. I’ve read three earlier graphic novels of James Albon and really enjoyed his artwork in ‘The Delicacy’ and ‘The Shining Beacon’, and while the plots for all these works are wildly different, the sketching style isn’t as varied, so for readers familiar with his work, “Love Languages” offers a similar visual experience, although the tones and colors differ through the pages.
Pictured above is the first page of ‘Love Languages’, a charming scene of tourists against a clear blue sky, most of them taking selfies and pictures. The next page too flips to a scene of couples lining up to buy tickets to the Eiffel Tower, with the speech bubbles filled with different languages. I could spot French, Malay, and German. Apart from English of course.
However, when we finally meet protagonist Hannah, it’s like the world turns into glum shades of grey and sadder tones of blue, quite unlike the bright breezy blanket of clouds hovering over the tourists. For her, Paris isn’t a romantic lovers paradise. She might grab coffees at pretty cafes and visit its many art museums, but it doesn’t change her reality: she is lonely, friendless, and miserable as a foreigner in the city.
Things change for Hannah when she meets Ping, a young woman from Hong Kong, and the two of them form a slightly awkward friendship at first. Hannah knows a handful of Cantonese words, while Ping’s English is broken but enough for the two women to converse and find comfort in each other’s company.
James Albon lets the artwork and colors do the quiet talking in ‘Love Languages’, with Sarah’s dull blue world turning brighter when she is in Ping’s friendly company. Anybody who has moved cities, even if it’s not in a completely foreign country, will be able to relate to Sarah’s initial loneliness and the need for a friend, just someone you can have basic conversations with.
Since ‘Love Languages’ is largely told from Sarah’s perspective, we don’t really see Ping’s struggles as an immigrant in Paris, even though it is clear she must be facing her own challenges. But compared to her English friend, Ping is a lot more cheerier, joyful, and optimistic. Her humble, kind energy bounces off this graphic novel’s panels and you can see why someone would treasure her grounded presence in their life.
The climactic chapters develop some conflict between the two friends, which is resolved through a honest face-to-face talk. Depending on how readers expect the story to turn out, ‘Love Languages’ can either feel satisfactory, or slightly contrived. For me, the resolution worked. James Albon delivers a tender tale of forging lasting bonds with strangers in a foreign land.
Rating for ‘Love Languages’ : 4 on 5 stars. It’s also on Kindle Unlimited.
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