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Blue Pills: A Positive Love Story Hardcover – January 1, 2008

by Frederik Peeters (Author), Anjali Singh (Translator)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 38 ratings
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In an autobiographical account about love in the time of AIDS, Frederik meets Cati and falls in love, but the two face many obstacles to happiness because Cati is HIV positive, just like her three-year-old son, in a deeply personal graphic memoir.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    190 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 2008
  5. Dimensions
    6.25 x 0.75 x 8.75 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    819062413X
  7. ISBN-13
    978-8190624138
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Originally published in Switzerland, Peeters's comics memoir of his romance with an HIV-positive woman named Cati (whose young son is also seropositive) is a new and sweeter kind of AIDS narrative-set in the era when HIV has become a chronic condition rather than a death sentence. There's not much of a plot here (the unnamed boy gets sick, then better; Peeters and Cati panic after a condom breaks, and are reassured by their doctor), but the book is much more about Peeters's fluid, slashing, unfailingly evocative ink brushwork documenting the psychological changes he's gone through. Sure-handedly caricatured facial expressions and body language tell a lot of the story, and almost every page is punctuated with a silent panel or two that suggests the way Peeters's newly expanded awareness of his mortality has made him more aware of the world he lives in, too. The final chapters feature an ingenious visual metaphor: after a doctor tells Peeters that he has "as much chance of catching AIDS as you have of running into a white rhinoceros on your way out," he imagines himself stalked everywhere by the rhino. It's a small gem of a book, whose only real flaw is an ungainly English translation, larded with unfiltered Gallicisms.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"[Frederik Peeters'] elliptical, atmospheric storytelling style creates waves of surprising emotion." --Alison Bechdel, author of Fun Home

"Passionate and celebratory . . . Profound questions are embraced in delicate details and quiet moments of pleasure." --Craig Thompson, author of Blankets

"If you need to be reminded that people can still love both intelligently and passionately, Blue Pills is for you." --Alexander Chee, author of Edinburgh

"Compelling . . . riveting . . . the drawings of Peeters . . . elevate the book to another level . . . a memoir that ranks with the best." Kirkus Reviews, Starred

"In the unvarnished humanity of the story lies the book's strength and attraction. Excellent." Booklist, ALA

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 061882099X
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 0 edition (January 1, 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 190 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 819062413X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-8190624138
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 0.75 x 8.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 38 ratings

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  1. Anar Zorawar Singh

    Anar Zorawar Singh

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  2. Frederik Peeters

    Frederik Peeters

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
38 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Josh Matheny
5.0 out of 5 stars A man falls in love with a woman
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2016
Verified Purchase
A very mature, very emotional and intellectual book.
A man falls in love with a woman. She has HIV, and so does her son. Is he capable of loving her? Does her disease mean anything at all? What's fact, what's fiction?
The author learns about life and love in this book, and what it takes to not only be a man, but to be human and to what it takes to be himself, and just who is he?
It's honestly beautiful.
You can pick up a cheap hardcover for like $0.26 from amazon so check it out.
3 people found this helpful
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Jessica Young
5.0 out of 5 stars This is one of the best books I've ever read
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2015
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This is one of the best books I've ever read. Brilliant.
As for the packaging. Reliable, quick. Just one problem :/ my mailman put it outside so the book got all cold and it worried me. But its fine
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Samantha Jean Disinger
5.0 out of 5 stars Deep reading..
Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2017
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This a deep novel... emotional, loved it. Great details and great story.
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Marcofrommiami
4.0 out of 5 stars Brand new
Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2012
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Although it said it was used, the book was like new. Very interesting book to read and i like the fact that its like a comic book.
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Rebecca Mugridge
5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2021
I recently came across this 2001 account of a young man who falls for a young mother of a three-year-old, both of whom are HIV positive. The story is told in black and white ink drawings that clearly show the emotions they all feel as they come to terms with their situation. They go through a period of anxiety, concerned about transmission; they consult a doctor multiple times; they surmount the challenges of telling family and friends; finally, they come to an acceptance and peace with their lives. This is a touching, heartfelt, and introspective look at the challenges faced by HIV-positive people who want a "normal" life.
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Ruben
5.0 out of 5 stars Very goodature adult graphic novel
Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2021
Beautiful story sad and interesting. Amazing that it's a graphics novel for adults
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Sam Quixote
5.0 out of 5 stars All You Need is Love
Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2010
Frederik Peeters tells the story of his relationship with his wife Cati and her 3 year old son, both of whom are HIV positive. He meets Cati years after meeting her for the first time to find that since their last meeting she has had a child, been divorced, and contracted AIDS. This doesn't stop him from being with her but we learn of the obstacles that come with it. The cautious beginnings of their physical love, the vigilance of maintaining a normal life for the child despite a regime of pills and syrups, and a scare when a condom breaks and Peeters thinks he's contracted the virus (he hasn't).

The book shows a deep and fulfilling love between Peeters and Cati, one that has the spectre of AIDS in the background but never dominating their life to the point where they can't live. They live their life as normal couples do and their relationship is both moving and sweet. The relationship between Peeters and his stepson is also very well told here. The scene when during a house party the 3 year old moves through the guests to where Peeters is sitting on the balcony and then sitting between his legs to play with his toy dinosaurs is very touching and not at all sentimental.

The stark realism of the story is belayed in the final part of the book where the author works out his frustrations and anger with a wise mammoth as they roam the prehistoric plains, the mammoth quoting everyone from Oscar Wilde to Burt Reynolds. The magical realism works and the author comes to realise how he cherishes his wife and son more because of the illness and how through the challenges they have developed a stronger love for each other.

Peeters draws as beautifully as he tells his story, the illustrations being somewhere between Craig Thompson and Jeff Lemire, both masters. The book is a beautiful and moving evocation of love in the face of adversity. Very easy to read, a fascinating story told expertly and lovingly, I recommend it to any and all.
5 people found this helpful
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Martin F. Guerrero
4.0 out of 5 stars Fun Read
Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2008
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A fun and enjoyable read all through. To light and inconsequential of a book for it to deserve 5 stars, and the translation is not extraordinary, just ok.
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Top reviews from other countries

gaurav sharma
4.0 out of 5 stars Book in good condition- Comic is... average
Reviewed in India on January 27, 2019
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I've read other works of Peters and this book paled in comparison
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Mummy
5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful Story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 31, 2016
Verified Purchase
I thought this was a beautiful story about love in the midst of a great challenge. The author tells us the story of his relationship with his girlfriend and her child through the medium of a graphic novel. The challenge is HIV. They are a sero-discordant couple. He is HIV - negative, but she and her child are positive but there is no discordance in their love for each other.

In one sense the challenge they face as a couple is similar to other couples who live with disability and critical illnesses, but in another sense the challenge is real and ongoing because HIV is stigmatised and because it can be transmitted.

And so we are given a glimpse into the lives of the author and his girlfriend and the ups and downs of living with the virus. In some ways this is very different to many stories about people living with HIV because this is a story about a heterosexual, European, middle class couple living in Geneva. Many stories about HIV and AIDS are about gay men, mostly white and living in the US or Europe but what really breaks the trend is that the story is in graphic novel format and so we receive the story through pictures.

The story is touching, real and very hopeful. What makes this truly memorable for me is the love the couple have for each other and for the child. After reading this I googled the author and found that he now has a daughter with his girlfriend and so love and hope continues. I liked the story so much that I bought a copy for a friend.

The art is a bit dark for me in places but it doesn't affect the powerful story telling. I thought this was a beautiful story and I am going to check out some of the other graphic novels by this author.
One person found this helpful
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Susan Rose
4.0 out of 5 stars For fans of memoir graphic novels
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 15, 2013
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If you are a fan of memoir graphic novels you will probably like this book, it is an interesting and frank portayal of life living with a partner who is hiv positive. The topic is treated really sensitively and the drawings are beautiful.
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Manos Agianniotakis
1.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, terrible condition
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 10, 2021
Verified Purchase
This is an incredible book. Unfortunately, I got it used from Amazon and, although the description was “like new,” it was in a terrible state.
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