Author(s): Tommi Parrish

Graphic Novels

Eliza is a thirtysomething struggling single mother and poet. Sasha, a twentysomething yearning for direction in life, just moved back in with her parents and dabbles as a sex worker. The two strike up an unlikely friendship that, as it veers towards something more, becomes a deeply resonant exploration of how far people are willing to go to find intimacy in a society that is increasingly closed off. Parrish's fully realised characters and gorgeously painted pages make Men I Trust one of the most moving and insightful works of fiction in any medium this year. 'Parrish's tactile paintwork conjures humans with hulking bodies and baseball heads, all of them wondering whether the messes they're in are the result of mistakes they've made or some kind of perverse destiny they were always bound for.' -Vulture 'Parrish ... relentlessly interrogates issues of gender and sexuality, pointing out that strict binaries are mostly jerry-built and easily broken.' -PEN 'With each hand-painted panel, author Tommi Parrish communicates an intense atmosphere and delves thoughtfully into the themes of queer desire, masculinity, fear, and the fading of past relationships.' -Eyes on Design