{"title":"Lee Lai","description":"\u003cp\u003eWelcome to the world of Lee Lai, an exceptional storyteller whose works resonate with depth and emotional insight. Known for her poignant graphic novels, Lee Lai delves into themes of identity, relationships, and personal growth, leaving an indelible mark on readers who look for authentic narratives.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOne notable book in her collection is \u003cem\u003eStone Fruit\u003c\/em\u003e, a beautifully illustrated exploration of family dynamics and queer relationships. With its vibrant artwork and compelling character development, this novel unravels the complexities of love, identity, and belonging, capturing the intricacies of human connection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eLee Lai's graphic novels are perfect for those who appreciate stories that blend striking visuals with profound storytelling. Her work often provides a reflective and engaging reading experience, inviting you to explore the rich tapestry of emotions and experiences that define what it means to be human.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDive into Lee Lai's collection and discover the nuanced worlds she creates, where every page is an opportunity to experience a slice of life through a unique and heartfelt lens.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"stone-fruit-by-lee-lai-9781683964261","title":"Stone Fruit","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBron and Ray are a queer couple who enjoy their role as the fun weirdo aunties to Ray's niece, six-year-old Nessie. Their playdates are little oases of wildness, joy, and ease in all three of their lives, which ping-pong between familial tensions and deeply seeded personal stumbling blocks.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs their emotional intimacy erodes, Ray and Bron isolate from each other and attempt to repair their broken family ties – Ray with her overworked, resentful single-mother sister, and Bron with her religious teenage sister who doesn't fully grasp the complexities of gender identity. Taking a leap of faith, each opens up and learns they have more in common with their siblings than they ever knew.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAt turns joyful and heartbreaking, \u003cem\u003eStone Fruit\u003c\/em\u003e reveals through intimately naturalistic dialogue and blue-hued watercolour how painful it can be to truly become vulnerable to your loved ones – and how fulfilling it is to be finally understood for who you are. Lee Lai is one of the most exciting new voices to break into the comics medium, and she has created one of the truly sophisticated graphic novel debuts in recent memory.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46833497342188,"sku":"9781683964261","price":56.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/15345883482787.jpg?v=1758463776"},{"product_id":"cannon-by-lee-lai-9781923106406","title":"Cannon","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe much-anticipated follow-up to acclaimed graphic novelist Lee Lai's Stella-shortlisted\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eStone Fruit\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e, a funny, dark, emotionally turbulent slice of friendship strife.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWe arrive to wreckage—a restaurant smashed to rubble, with tables and chairs upended riotously. Under the swampy nighttime cover of a Montreal heatwave, we meet our protagonist, Cannon, dripping in beads of regret sweat. She was supposed to be closing the restaurant for the night, but instead, she destroyed it. The horror-scape left in her wake is not unlike the films Cannon and her best friend, Trish, watch together. Cooking dinner and digging into deep cuts of Australian horror movies on their scheduled weekly hangs has become the glue in their relationship. In high school, they were each other's lifeline—two queer second-generation Chinese nerds trapped in the suburbs. Now, on the uncool side of their twenties, the essentialness of one another feels harder to pin down. Yet when our stoic and unbendingly well-behaved Cannon finds herself very uncharacteristically surrounded by smashed plates, it is Trish who shows up to pull her out.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eCannon\u003c\/em\u003e, Lee Lai's follow-up to the critically acclaimed and award-winning \u003cem\u003eStone Fruit\u003c\/em\u003e, the full palette of a nervous breakdown is just a part of what is on offer. Lai's sharp sense of humour and sensitive eye produce a story that explores the intimacy of queer friendship and the weight of family responsibility, and breaks open the question of what we owe both to each other and to ourselves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'In \u003cem\u003eCannon\u003c\/em\u003e, Lee Lai has performed a rare and powerful act of alchemy—the images, narrative, and writing not only capture a life, but combine so that the book itself feels alive.' — Torrey Peters\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Beguilingly drawn, \u003cem\u003eCannon\u003c\/em\u003e depicts a wide spectrum of adulthood with nuance and complexity. From one story unravels many stories, about friendships, situationships, work, and familial obligations. I was struck by its attention and care.' — Ling Ma\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'A beautifully drawn slice of life, filled with the kind of intimate, specific details that make the best fiction seem autobiographical.' — Adrian Tomine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'It's rare, and precious, when a moment in a movie, in a poem, in a comic surges up at you as being True. And in \u003cem\u003eCannon\u003c\/em\u003e, Lee Lai does it again and again.' — Eleanor Davis\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Alliance Distribution Services Pty Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47076389060844,"sku":"9781923106406","price":37.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/b6a9dad26b785b6446fddcb086ec694d.jpg?v=1765221230"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/lee-lai.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}