Love Languages

Through luscious watercolors, Albon (The Delicacy) spins a slow-burning international love story. Sarah moves from England to France for an anxiety-inducing office job. Grappling with disrespectful male coworkers and a language she minimally understands, she is alone and lonely—until she meets Ping during a chance collision (literally) with a mime. An au pair from Hong Kong, Ping is kind, generous, and eager to befriend Sarah. Despite understanding only bits and pieces of the other’s English, French, and Cantonese, the two use the “strange patchwork of languages” to learn about each other and connect. With translation dictionaries as their aids, they soon fall in love. Then Ping is forced to return to Hong Kong, and Sarah is left with a choice: continue in France or travel the world for the woman she adores. Albon’s sensuously painted pages reveal the unspoken way people communicate, small acts of devotion that transcend language barriers and cultural traditions. He layers English on top of Cantonese and French speech balloons, drawing readers into the rapid translation that forms the foundation of Sarah and Ping’s relationship. It’s a captivating cross-cultural queer love story that’s perfect for Shing Yin Khor fans. (May)