A woman discovers that her husband leads a double life and decides to emancipate himself through sex. The beginning of Itinerary of a bitch might seem folded down but the authors propose a new path in eroticism. Follow our initiation to discover this new literary pleasure.
An ordinary woman discovers herself
A Bitch's Itinerary opens in the morning when a woman in her fifties, Elise, touches her husband's hand while he is still sleeping. Love is present despite the years of living together and routine. However, everything falls apart when she discovers through a mobile phone that her husband is cheating on her. She follows him to his appointment and finds proof of the lie when she sees a woman coming out of the room. Disgusted, she cannot get the images of this woman out of her mind. Sexuality then becomes a nightmare for her. This shock, however, does not mark the end but the beginning of a new life.
Indeed, she refuses to let this happen. Rather than seeking confrontation with her husband, she asks herself: what are her desires? Is she still desirable when her man needs to go elsewhere? For years, Elise was a wife and mother. Although she has an important job in publishing, she seems very submissive to her husband. She continues to worry about her daughter especially about her love life and lacks confidence in this maternal role, being convinced that her husband is doing better. However, she rediscovers herself as a woman, making this complete story an erotic-feminist work.
Itinerary of a bitch becomes a personal initiatory tale. Elise discovers personal pleasure. Sensuality becomes a daily and omnipresent quest. Through this self-research, she becomes desirous for others and discovers new pleasures without her husband. Even if the images are explicit, they are also symbolic like this lock too old to work.
Looking for pleasure in oneself
Contrary to many erotic stories, Elise does not need men to discover herself. She begins by changing her relationship with her own body and then enjoys herself alone before seducing different men. She then realizes that desire is present as well in a dessert as in a male or female sex. This sexual openness is accompanied by a more tolerant view of difference.
Itinerary of a bitch is made by two authors. The screenwriter Céline Tran entrusted the realization of the drawings to Grazia La Padula. Watercolor colorization is an invitation to touch and discover materials. Each chapter opens with a full page without inking that amplifies this visual sensuality. Even though she has very different bodies, Grazia La Padula makes each character beautiful. She manages to make the scenes carnal intimate while avoiding vulgarity. These beautiful pages alternate with poetry texts taken from Elise's diary that mark the different stages of Elise's sentimental research. Itinéraire d'une garce is in line with the spirit of the Porn'Pop collection also directed by Céline Tran at Glénat : to offer erotic stories that are inclusive and refuse patriarchal clichés. This can be seen from the first page in the very free definition of bitch. This pejorative term tinged with misogyny is reappropriated by women in A Bitch's Itinerary.
From the foreword, the screenwriter questions the relationship to fidelity. This patriarchal norm appears in the corner of a box by posters and TV programs. The Internet, on the other hand, can be a tool for empowerment. Elise cannot envisage sex without her husband , but the news of the betrayal pushes her to explore alone and for her own pleasure. Céline Tran points out the lack of communication in the couple, as if the more we know each other, the less we talk to each other. The husband is also a touching character. He is not a monster of selfishness but he loves his wife while cheating on her.
Céline Tran emphasizes the fear of being rejected even when you are in a relationship. Elise is no longer a perfect woman She is in menopause and the question of sexuality after is clearly posed. For a female doctor, this physiological change would mark the end of sexuality while Itinerary of a Bitch proves the opposite. We see her bulges and scars but it is especially by her attitude that she makes herself desirable. Sexuality is not only a question of the body but also a reflection.
A Bitch's Itinerary is a magnificent quest for personal pleasure. On the one hand, Grazia La Padula's drawings are a splendid ode to touch and adventure. On the other hand, the screenplay of Céline Tran succeeds in the challenge of giving a modern vision of the initiation of a woman to pleasure but without any moralism. The book ultimately offers a reinvented vision, freer and more honest but also stronger of the couple.
You can find on the site a review of another volume of the Oscuro en Rosa series and a darker title on sexuality in EVEN.
