Naked: The Confessions of a Normal Woman
Éloïse Marseille’s Naked: The Confessions of a Normal Woman isn’t your typical coming-of-age story. It delves into the raw, often messy world of sex and love with humor, honesty, and a splash of red.
Marseille, a Canadian comic artist out of Montreal, Quebec, begins her audacious graphic novel Naked: The Confessions of a Normal Woman with the assertion that, “I’ve always loved talking about sex with the people I love.” She explains how discussing something so vulnerable often reveals things about people—most prominently what they carry shame about. Marseille’s book aims to dispel some of the embarrassment and shame or at least make it less, as she says, “heavy.”
Marseille was born on Valentine’s Day in 1996, which feels prophetic in a way considering hers is a memoir about love and sex. After some back story on her family—most significantly, her parents’ separation and her father’s new family—she embarks on a tale of her developing curiosity, disdain for her body, and shame around both. It doesn’t help that adult reactions to her questions are often met with embarrassment or, worse, punishment. When a nun at her school catches a 6-year-old Marseille and her best friend playing “married” and kissing, both girls are reprimanded. This leads to a lot of internalized disgust when later in her young life she discovers masturbation and porn.
Although moments in her book sometimes felt incomplete, such a not-too-deep dive into exploring her sexual orientation or an earlier mention of her childhood being “great” despite her father’s anger, it opens the door for what she might explore in future works. In the telling of her experience, Marseille manages to alleviate and even transcend shame for herself and her readers. Will some audiences find it offensive? No doubt. There are plenty of drawings of naked penises and vaginas, some of them disembodied with lives of their own (one particular vignette shows Marseille’s fear of penises via a large, angry looking monster penis). This book is not for the pearl-clutching feint of heart—even Marseille’s mother warned her against including some of the content in it. Nevertheless, I think most readers will have experienced similar encounters or inner dialogue and will find the book honest and empowering. Fans of graphic memoirs, such as Craig Thompson’s Blankets or Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer, will also likely enjoy Naked: The Confessions of a Normal Woman.
From consent and abuse to infertility and sexually transmitted infections, Marseille doesn’t shy away from things that might be uncomfortable for some to discuss. She does so with humor and sensitivity, transforming even difficult topics into a joyful read. The book’s two-color palette, predominantly red, bleeds onto the page which feels like the right choice for a book that is so emotionally raw. Illustrations perfectly nail the messy, imperfect chaos of sex and love—from hairy bodies to sweaty orgasms. Naked is a touching, funny, and bold graphic memoir that will challenge our deepest shame and might even offer a path towards self-acceptance.
Naked: The Confessions of a Normal Woman
By Éloïse Marseille
Pow Pow, 2023
ISBN: 9782925114239
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18)
