Men I Trust

Men I Trust by Tommi Parrish is a compelling sophomore graphic novel that cements Parrish as one of the most exciting voices in contemporary literature.

Eliza is a thirtysomething struggling single mother and poet. Sasha, in her twenties, is searching for direction after moving back in with her parents and taking up sex work. The two form an unlikely friendship that evolves into something deeper, offering a profound exploration of the lengths people will go to for intimacy in an increasingly isolated society.

Parrish’s fully realised characters and beautifully painted pages make Men I Trust one of the most moving and insightful works of fiction in any medium this year.

“Parrish's bodies dominate the room (and the page), and yet their sheer expanse seems to accentuate their vulnerability as much as their power. They are inescapable, and inescapably exposed ... Even the quietest moments have a wildness lurking within them, a sense of things being on the verge of going to pieces or bursting into life.”
—Gabriel Winslow-Yost, The New York Review of Books

“Lambda Award-winner Parrish (The Lie and How We Told It) delivers an unflinching examination of two women as they tentatively form a friendship while coping with messy personal circumstances ... Parrish's gift for nuanced characterisations and dialogue juxtapose with their distinctive, highly stylised art, in which characters sport exaggeratedly bulky, awkward bodies and small heads. This humane, insightful tale should further burnish Parrish's reputation as a first-rate artist and storyteller.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“With the palette of Simon Hanselmann and the emotional heft of Adrian Tomine, Parrish paints a realistic and intimate portrait of queer friendship, the colourful, genderless characters avatars for anyone grappling with how to live a meaningful life under capitalism. Parrish's trademark painted figures animate a nuanced and highly relatable depiction of anxiety, depression and complicated relationships, the characters of Eliza and Sasha alive with humour, personality and astutely observed thoughts and feelings ... Parrish's work continues to reclaim brightness and boldness in the service of rendering real human lives. Men I Trust is a beautiful and honest work from an artist deserving of all of the home-country recognition that will no doubt finally come their way.”
—Kelsey Oldham, Books+Publishing