'Max et Sven' by Tom Bouden...

[fajrdrako]

Max et Sven by Tom Bouden is a semi-autobiographical graphic novel by Belgian Tom Bouden about growing up gay. We follow Max from about the age of nine to about twenty, and for most of this time, he was very much in love with his best friend, Sven, but afraid to tell Sven he was gay.

It's not earth-shattering and it's not action-packed, but it's a lovely coming-of-age story about an imaginative, thoughtful young man. Sometimes I found Max's shyness more sad than funny; sometimes it just seemed real. I thought as I read that Max's experiences weren't so very different from those of a straight guy - afraid to tell the pretty girl in the class how he feels about her, unable to talk to his parents about sex, getting information and misinformation however he can.