My Brother's Husband, Volume 2

by Gengoroh Tagame, Anne Ishii (Translator)

Overview

The acclaimed global sensation, from one of Japan's most notable manga artists: the concluding volume in the story of Yaichi, his daughter Kana, and how their meeting Mike Flanagan—Yaichi's brother-in-law—changes their lives and their perceptions of acceptance of homosexuality in their contemporary Japanese culture.

As Mike continues his journey of discovery concerning Ryoji's past, Yaichi gradually comes to understand that being gay is just another way of being human. And that, in many ways, remains a radical concept in Japan even today. In the meantime, the bond between Mike and young Kana grows ever stronger, and yet he is going to have to return to Canada soon—a fact that fills them both with impending heartbreak. But not before more than a few revelations come to light.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101871539
Publisher:	Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/18/2018
Series:	Pantheon Graphic Library
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	321,761
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 7.39(h) x 1.13(d)

About the Author

GENGOROH TAGAME was born in 1964 and lives in Tokyo. After graduating from Tama University of Art, Tagame worked as an art director while writing manga and prose fiction, contributing illustrations for various magazines. In 1994 he cofounded the epochal G-Men Magazine and by 1996 he was working full-time as an openly gay artist. He is the author of dozens of graphic novels and stories which have been translated into English, French, Italian, and Korean. His artwork has been exhibited in galleries across Europe and America. My Brother's Husband, Volume 1 marked his first all-ages title, and earned him a 2018 Eisner Award, as well as the Japan Media Arts Award for Outstanding Work of Manga from the Agency of Cultural Affairs.

Editorial Reviews

…this careful, good-natured, family-friendly story offers something for everybody—kids and adults alike—even as it introduces real complexity around sex and gender expectations…The second volume, which unfolds in Tagame's forthright, approachable black and white, has a pedagogical tone (cue high jinks and life lessons), but this is offset by its genuine humor, and its deceptively sophisticated investigation into the nature of love, marriage, divorce, bereavement and nontraditional child-rearing across multiple contexts.

The New York Times Book Review - Hillary L. Chute

Praise for Volume 2 of My Brother's Husband:

“The second volume, which unfolds in Tagame’s forthright, approachable black and white, has a pedagogical tone (cue high jinks and life lessons), but this is offset by its genuine humor, and its deceptively sophisticated investigation into the nature of love, marriage, divorce, bereavement and nontraditional child-rearing across multiple contexts.”
—Hillary Chute, The New York Times

“Achingly true . . . At its heart, My Brother's Husband is the story of a man coming to terms with the unquestioned cultural assumptions he's harbored all his life. But the genius of Tagame's art lies in its ability to slyly suggest—but by no means insist—that Yaichi's real journey of discovery may have just begun.”
—NPR

“This manga is powerful, and Tagame's prowess within the genre shines through every page . . . [My Brother's Husband] sneaks up on you, steals your heart away and refuses to return it . . . It will absolutely not disappoint.” 
—Looking Glass Reads

“My Brother's Husband is not a subtle manga, but it is a legitimately moving one. By realistically portraying how prejudice and discrimination directly impact the characters' lives and deeply inform their relationships, Tagame's message of love is made abundantly clear.” 
—Manga Bookshelf

“Poignant emotional depth . . . [a] gentle story . . . This well-paced, empathy-building story has lots of appeal and would be a good choice for readers making their first forays into manga.” 
—Booklist

“[This] proves a heart-filling resolution. Readers will want tissues in hand for the final, bittersweet pages of this remarkable series.” 
—Kirkus Reviews [starred review]

“Tagame's mastery of the human form allows him to simplify his approach . . . lending the book an inviting, open cartooning style, and further positioning My Brother's Husband as an accessible look at what it means to be gay in a different culture.” 
—Paste Magazine

Praise for Volume 1 of My Brother's Husband:

“Not only is My Brother’s Husband very touching; it’s also, for the non-Japanese reader, unexpectedly fascinating. Gay life remains largely closeted in Japan, and Tagame’s complex but deftly told story seeks to examine the effect such secrecy has, not only on those who must live it, but also on their wider family relationships.”
—The Guardian (London) 

“This is the best all-ages LGBT graphic novel I've read since I discovered gay Manga . . . This is a wise, gentle, funny and pyrotechnical piece of Japanese story-telling . . . It has a lot to do with my own life, and I'm willing to bet that it has a lot to do with yours, whoever you are, the way the best story-telling often does . . .”
—Samuel Delaney

“Refreshing. Transporting. Clever. Inspiring. If these are qualities that help books rise to the top of your summer reading list, your new number one is My Brother’s Husband . . . The story moves along quietly and gently, Tagame cleverly evoking parallels between mutual misperceptions of gays and straights, older and younger generations, Westerners and Japanese.” 
—Passport Magazine

“Inviting black-and-white illustrations deftly capture the characters' wide range of emotions, from joy to grief and beyond . . . Endearing and enlightening.”
—Kirkus Reviews [starred review]

From the Publisher

★ 2018-10-23

The follow-up to the slice-of-life manga about Japanese single father Yaichi, his daughter, Kana, and his deceased brother's white Canadian husband, Mike.

The story seamlessly picks up where the first entry left off, inviting readers back into Yaichi's swirling thoughts as he considers how much more comfortable he's become with Mike's homosexuality and the areas where he's still learning. Importantly, Yaichi finally recognizes that despite what he's told himself, he treated his twin brother, Ryoji, differently after he came out. Here, Tagame (My Brother's Husband, vol. 1, 2017, etc.) demonstrates how quietly refusing to affirm a family member's sexuality can be just as harmful as outright rejection. As in the previous book, paneled black-and-white illustrations balance precisely with the light-handed translated text, allowing room for readers to relax into the world and interpret characters' expressions for themselves. The plot's leisurely pace also gives time to elements of the gay experience rarely covered in other stories, including the complications that can arise when an out gay man interacts with a closeted man in public. Additionally, this volume delves deeper into how Ryoji's death has changed Mike, particularly his new understanding that nothing in life is guaranteed. Though both Mike and Yaichi reflect on the uncertainty of the future, the comfort between the two men and their mutual desire to stay connected proves a heart-filling resolution.

Readers will want tissues in hand for the final, bittersweet pages of this remarkable series. (Graphic novel. 13-adult)

Kirkus Reviews