Originally published ten years ago, Leanne Shapton’s Was She Pretty?, a “graphic-novel-cum-children’s-book” (Publisher’s Weekly) about modern love, was inspired, the author says, by “raging jealousy.” The reader can tell, even through the book’s veneer of timeless, cosmopolitan art and elegant (if unadorned) prose. Do you remember your ex-lovers? How would you describe them in a sentence? How would you draw them? To celebrate the book’s anniversary, and perhaps to cool a few jealousies, here are five reminders of your romantic past, reprinted with the permission of publisher Drawn & Quarterly.
From ‘Was She Pretty?’ by Leanne Shapton
From ‘Was She Pretty?’ by Leanne Shapton
From ‘Was She Pretty?’ by Leanne Shapton
From ‘Was She Pretty?’ by Leanne Shapton
From ‘Was She Pretty?’ by Leanne Shapton
From ‘Was She Pretty?’ by Leanne Shapton
From ‘Was She Pretty?’ by Leanne Shapton
From ‘Was She Pretty?’ by Leanne Shapton
From ‘Was She Pretty?’ by Leanne Shapton
From ‘Was She Pretty?’ by Leanne Shapton