Synopsis
Bron and Ray are a queer couple who enjoy their role as the fun weirdo aunties to Ray’s niece, six-year-old Nessie. Their playdates are little oases of wildness, joy, and ease in all three of their lives, which ping-pong between familial tensions and deep-seated personal stumbling blocks. As their emotional intimacy erodes, Ray and Bron isolate from each other and attempt to repair their broken family ties — Ray with her overworked, resentful single-mother sister and Bron with her religious teenage sister who doesn’t fully grasp the complexities of gender identity. Taking a leap of faith, each opens up and learns they have more in common with their siblings than they ever knew.
From: Fantagraphics
Notes on This Title
The main characters of this title are Ray, a queer Chinese woman, and Bron, a queer trans woman. This title chronicles their break-up. Bron’s struggles with her Christian family and her experiences with mental illness are shown.
Awards
2021 ALA Graphic Novels and Comics Round Table Best Graphic Novels for Adults Top Ten
2021 Harvey Awards Nominee for Book of the Year
2022 Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ Comics
2022 ALA Rainbow Roundtable Over the Rainbow selection
Reviews
Starred Review: “The result is a poignant and mature rumination on how people change, and change each other, proving Lai a talent well worth watching.” (Source: Publishers Weekly)
“Lee Lai’s debut graphic novel “Stone Fruit” (Fantagraphics) is mature in so many respects. It’s wise and gentle about relationships. It’s narratively and artistically confident. It’s patiently restrained and full of deft choices.” (Source: Multiversity Comics)
Interviews
Liminal: “Interview #1 — Lee Lai“