Hypericum — Read Report

By Manuele Fior (Translated by Matt Madden) Buy (affiliate link) Hypericum is one of two graphic novels by Italian authors that I picked up in my recent library excursion. Both involve Italians traveling overseas in the ’90s. Obviously Italy has artistic traditions spanning millennia, but Italian comics are a complete blind spot for me. After these two examples, I’m inclined to seek out more. Manuele Fior tells the story of Teresa Guerrero, an Italian student who has come to Berlin in the late ’90s to intern as a scientific assistant preparing an exhibit on king tut’s treasure. Teresa leads a charmed life, one where each event seems inevitable, running, as she says, in “a straight line.” A chance meeting with fellow Italian expat Ruben breaks that straight line. Teresa thinks a day of exploring the sights of the city is just a dalliance, but she soon discovers that a mix-up has left her without living arrangements. With no other place to turn, she calls Ruben. Ruben turns out to be a…