Love stories end badly in general sang Rita Mitsouko and well the author of Fresh would probably agree but for a different reason. Find out why in our column.
Life in pink… turns black
In Fraîche, Pia arrives in 2011 in her new high school in final year and leaves the gravity of her former private high school. Still a virgin, she feels late and jealous of those who have an attitude and maturity. She wants to live like in a movie with a guy, cool friends and wild parties. The reader smiles at her awkwardness and attitudes typical of teenage girls. Central character of Fresh, Pia gets bored very quickly but she is glued to her bed in the morning. We find the daily versatility of the outfits. Heart of artichoke, she falls in love with every man who meets her eyes. The young woman classifies people according to their style because, more than expressing an identity, it is important to be included in a cool group. Pia is ready to do anything even if it means avoiding an old friend. She seems close to her goal after meeting a charming man and even better if he is older and a musician. She plunges totally into this love story with this necessarily perfect man even if it means losing his free will. If, in Fresh, Pia seems totally happy, the reader perceives the signs of an oppression at first discreet and then more and more obvious. It makes the mistake of wanting to conform to bourgeois norms without discussing them. His mother was strongly influenced by a conservative upbringing and some subjects were taboo. Even if there is a conflict of generations, his mother is making efforts. The mother offers to pay lip service to the doctor to get the contraceptive pill. Pia is obsessed with sex but dreams of finding Prince Charming and has never been educated to consent. We can see a message in Fraîche about the need to talk about all subjects. Rather than shock her family, she wants to modernize her parents.
An autofiction in comics
Former student of science-Po, Marguerite Boutrolle gave up everything for comics. After two series on Instagram, Fraîche is her first work and she is not afraid of challenges because she is both a writer and a cartoonist. His style may seem awkward at first but his vivid stroke serves the narrative showing a wobbly relationship. The bodies are always in motion and the facial expressions often grimacing. Simple gestures become erotic like eating ice cream. With Fraîche, Marguerite Boutrolle writes autofiction because she starts from certain personal memories mixed with old or recent conversations to build a story between autobiography and fiction. She perfectly finds the language of teenagers with their own expressions but reuses the words of thetwenty-first century: seum… She manages to point to sexism in everyday life as this teacher who talks about provocative outfits makes a remark only to a girl. A discussion shows that women need to be very careful about their intimate relationships. The first time is a step to take but for a woman it is often a laborious or painful moment … where little fun comes into play. Pia asserts herself through this relationship. The reader of 2022 is necessarily much more attentive to sexist and homophobic insults, yet common at the time. Conversely, music is a key to making contacts and understanding your body. Edited La Boîte à bulles, Fraîche is not necessarily the best gift for Valentine's Day… Although, it can become the best alarm and a reminder of adolescence. Indeed, this book is the intimate portrait of a girl who seeks and wants to become a woman but Fraîche also shows the dark side of this tender age. Other intimate chronicles await you on Suzette or the great love and And in the end, they die.
