Exquisite Corpse

by Penelope Bagieu

Overview

Zoe isn't exactly the intellectual type, which is why she doesn't recognize world-famous author Thomas Rocher when she stumbles into his apartment . . . and into his life.

Zoe doesn't know Balzac from Batman, but she's going to have to wise up fast . . . because Rocher has a terrible secret, and now Zoe is sitting on the literary scandal of the century.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781626720824
Publisher:	First Second
Publication date:	05/05/2015
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 8.60(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Penelope Bagieu was born in Paris in 1982, to Corsican and Basque parents. She is a bestselling graphic novel author and her editorial illustrations have appeared all over the French media. She blogs, drums in a rock band, and watches lots of nature shows. Exquisite Corpse is her first graphic novel to be published in the United States.

Editorial Reviews

06/01/2015
Bestselling French cartoonist Bagieu makes her English-language debut with this absorbing, fast-paced erotic literary drama. Twenty-something Zoe is frustrated by her unfulfilling relationship and her demeaning job as a product representative for trade shows, where she is routinely objectified by men. On a break, she spots a man in a window nearby and ends up entering his home. Because she's never even set foot in a bookstore, she doesn't recognize world-famous author Thomas Rocher. As her relationship with Rocher deepens, another woman who is still in his life (for mysterious reasons) complicates matters—and then the story takes an unexpected yet satisfying twist. Bagieu's character designs are brilliant, reflecting the emotions and energy of all the players, with a color scheme that highlights the mood in a loose, lively style. Though the ending comes out of left field, what comes before—a funny and fresh exploration of authorship and a writer's relationship to fame—is utterly charming. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"Pénélope Bagieu has mastered a magic trick, and it is this: Somehow, even as she suspends our disbelief, she can turn paper into flesh. And ink becomes lifeblood...her characters not only breathe and pulsate with vivid life. They also seem entirely, organically authentic in their own skin." —The Washington Post

"Funny and subversive, this sexy tale of a pompous and reclusive author, his ex-lover and agent and the young woman who pierces this closed circle (and completes the triangle) is beautifully told by Bagieu, a major talent and bestselling author in her native France." —The Miami Herald

"Bagieu crafts a fiendishly unexpected denouement that combines feminist politics with a generous affection for her heroine." —NPR

"Wonderful . . . her cartooning style is a sheer delight." —Mental Floss

"A funny and fresh exploration of authorship and a writer's relationship to fame...utterly charming."—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

Zoe is in her early twenties, working a dead-end job, and living with a slob of a boyfriend. When she accidentally meets Thomas Rocher—she asks to use his bathroom—Zoe has no idea that he is a world-famous author. What is more, she has no idea that he is a world-famous author who faked his own death years before. Zoe is a muse for Thomas, inspiring him to write a masterful literary trilogy. Thomas is a welcome break for Zoe, allowing her to leave her job and her boyfriend to live a life of leisure. When Zoe discovers the fake-death scheme Thomas and his ex-wife, who is also his editor, manufactured to restart Thomas’s stalled career, idealistic Zoe is disgusted by Thomas’s dishonesty and inflated ego. A happy ending results from Zoe and Thomas’s ex-wife/editor Agathe teaming up to take down self-centered Thomas. First Second Books is dedicated to creating graphic novels for women. Though the whimsical style and quirky character of Zoe in this translated-from-French tale will appeal to many teen graphic novel fans, this is not a book that is actually marketed to teen readers. Mature teens will not be too bothered by the sexual images, and graphic novel fans who are tired of female characters being drawn as merely one-dimensional sex objects will enjoy the female characters triumphing at the end. This book lacks the adult-centered focus that is typical of young adult fiction. Nonetheless, it is a gratifying read that will likely find a teen following. Reviewer: Jennifer Miskec; Ages 15 to Adult.

VOYA, June 2015 (Vol. 38, No. 2) - Jennifer Miskec

The critically acclaimed author Thomas Rocher takes a break from a dreadful block in his creative writing process and peeks out of his charming pre-war window when the intercom to his apartment buzzes. He spots a young girl, named Zoe, sitting on a bench in a nearby garden. When their eyes meet for a split second, Thomas anxiously hides behind the curtain; but when she rings his bell and asks to use his bathroom, everything changes. Maybe this unexpected, yet comical, meeting will spark some fresh and stimulating ideas for his new book. For Zoe, this encounter will be a way to change her everyday routine of waking up before sunrise, cramming into a crowded and suffocating train, being harassed at work where she is a sales representative for miscellaneous companies, and then going home to a boyfriend who does not spark her romantic or artistic passions. She becomes Rocher’s muse, but then discovers he faked his death to jumpstart his faltering writing career. This book is a very quick and entertaining read. Every page turn is exciting and will attract the interest of many readers who can reflect on how to follow their dreams and be open to new ideas and experiences. Those who enjoy reading graphic novel titles like Shortcomings by Adrian Tomine or other romantic comedy works, such as Blankets by Craig Thompson or the “Scott Pilgrim’s” series by Bryan Lee O’Malley, would also enjoy reading this graphic novel. This book is recommended for mature readers of an older age due to its topics. Reviewer: Erika Clark; Ages 15 up.

Children's Literature - Erika Clark

05/15/2015
Egocentric author Thomas Rocher finds to his horror that his novels are losing ground with readers and critics. So together with his ex-wife/editor, he attempts an unorthodox strategy for upping his literary cachet. But complications arise as pert waif Zoe, his new girlfriend, first inspires and then confounds his ambitions. Bagieu (La Page Blanche) serves up a sassy plot capped with an unexpected ending in which the women triumph. Her clear-line cartoony style depicts with graceful ease the big-eyed Zoe, stubbled-chin Thomas, svelte editor Agathe, and Zoe's Neanderthal ex-boyfriend. She uses characters' eyes as much as dialog to tell the story and relies on color delicately but evocatively. VERDICT An Angoulême Award winner, this is comic melodrama, not serious social commentary, thus don't look for depth or much character development. Those caught up in the book world will especially enjoy its lighthearted satire of best sellers and the personalities who create them.—M.C.

Library Journal