Bastien is eight years old, and his mother is ill. She often has what his father and grandparents call "episodes." She screams and fights, scratches and spits, and has to be carted away to specialized clinics for frequent treatments. Bastien doesn't like it when she goes, because when she comes home, she isn't the same. She has no feelings, no desires, and not much interest in him. According to the doctors, Bastien's mother suffers from "bipolar disorder with schizophrenic tendencies," but he prefers to imagine her as a comic-book heroine, like Jean Grey, who may become Dark Phoenix and explode in a superhuman fury at any moment. Based on the creator's own childhood experiences, The Parakeet is the story of a boy whose only refuge from life's harsh realities lies in his imagination. In his eyes, we see the confusion and heartache he feels as he watches his mother's illness worsen and the treatments fail. Through his eyes, we see how mental illness can both tear families apart and reaffirm the bonds of love. Poignant yet playful, The Parakeet follows Bastien's struggle to accept the mother he has while wishing for the mother he needs.

The Parakeet

Comics & Graphic Novels

Espé

Graphic Novels

Graphic Mundi

About the Author\nA native of Tarn, France, Espé discovered his love of comics through his favorite superheroes. Since graduating from the École des Beaux-Arts in Toulouse, he has collaborated in the publication of several comics series, including Châteaux Bordeaux, and he is the creator of L’Île des Justes and Le Perroquet, the latter published in English as The Parakeet by Graphic Mundi.\nThe only way out is through.\nCamille and Bastien are overjoyed at the birth of their second child. But their happiness is short-lived. Soon after Louis is born, he is diagnosed with severe heart defects. Because of his young age, he must wait for surgery―and the operation itself could prove fatal.\nDuring the tense and bewildering months that follow Louis’s diagnosis, his parents find some comfort in Camille’s father, Pablo, who comes to help care for the children. The long wait turns into a joyful interlude of games, tenderness, and deepening love between Louis and Pablo, an experience that will remain forever engraved in their lives.\nInspired by real events, this emotionally engaging follow-up to Espé’s The Parakeet continues the story of Bastien, now a father, as he and Camille cope with every parent’s biggest fear: that they could lose their child.

The Pass

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Espé. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Espé

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Espé. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Parakeet

The Pass