After Eden

After Eden is a graphic novel by Arnold Arre. He is the talented artist behind the award-winning Mythology Class and Trip to Tagaytay. I only have one word for this work of his: brilliant.

After Eden is beautifully done. Both the visuals and the story are nothing less than excellent. Some people may think that the story is too "mushy", but I respectfully disagree. It just shows love as it is. But it's not just about love.

At the start, it tackles what you call the "quarter life crisis", which people in their mid-twenties go through, especially those in the corporate world, those who go through 'routines'. These people are not happy even if they are "successful". They feel that there is something missing in their lives. In this case, love.

It also tackles the "men versus women" issue. Blatantly with the characters Lea and Greg, and subtly with Cecile and Jon. Lea and Greg are always fighting the war of the genders. On the other hand, the differences between men and women are shown by the thoughts of Cecile and Jon. The way they narrated the events of night is really a subtle way of showing that men and women are indeed very much different from each other.

And of course it tackles LOVE. There are always people around a happy people who are cynical, who want to destroy the relationship of the couple. These people are envious because the couple is happy, and they're not. But there are also people who do what they can when the two people who are in love are hurting, to bring them back together. And if two people start believing other people instead of themselves, trouble begins. If two people give in to the cynicism around them, then it will seem that love goes away. But it will always be there, the couple just has to believe, and keep on believing.

I also like the idea of "clasping of the hands". In the novel, a fortune teller tells Cecile and Jon that the clasping of hands is the "god damn secret to all relationships". The fingers represent our good sides, and the gaps between them our shortcomings. When fingers bump together, or when good sides bump together, there's tension and conflict. But if the other person fills in the gap or fills in the shortcomings of the other, then there's harmony. And that's when the hands clasp each other.

Try to get a copy of this book. Great read. But if you're one of those cynical people who think that mushiness is crap and that love is overrated and being so in love is 'baduy', then this book is definitely not for you. I just hope that you will start believing soon. 'Cause whether you like it or not, everything After Eden says is true. That there is a paradise in this crazy world of ours. That love is really what makes the world go round.