Alison

Alison tells the story of a young British woman who, in her twenties, seizes upon the opportunity to escape from her quiet life in Dorset to the thrumming art scene of late-1970s London. But the vehicle for her escape is a charismatic older man whose reputation as an artist and philanderer casts a shadow which will follow Alison for years as she pursues her painting career.

Combining immaculate prose and stunning artwork, Alison is a complex love and coming-of-age story, as well as a meditation on female friendship and empowerment, class and patriarchy, the creative process and the thorny world of fine art. British illustrator and author Lizzy Stewart crafts a graphic novel that evokes the atmospheric milieu of bohemian London in the late 20th century, while at the same time exploring the more universal struggles of women who must navigate male-dominated spaces.

Told through quietly powerful interpersonal moments rich with meaning and mood, this graphic novel will appeal to fans of Sally Rooney and Leanne Shapton, as well as the great empathic writers Alice Munro, Hilary Mantel, and Tessa Hadley.

"Subtle and deliciously complicated, this is a big book on big subjects, but lightly, elegantly done. I loved it." — Tessa Hadley

"There's a quiet but powerful immediacy to [Stewart's work] that will appeal to lit fic fans who may not always pick up comics." — Publishers Weekly

"Mournful, lovely...Stewart's dynamic, warm, flowing art invites the reader in." — The New York Times Book Review

Lizzy Stewart is a British illustrator and author who teaches illustration at Goldsmiths College in London. She has written and illustrated three picture books for children alongside Walking Distance, an illustrated essay, and It's Not What You Thought It Would Be, a graphic short-story collection. Her debut picture book There's a Tiger in the Garden won the Waterstones Children's Book Prize for Picture Books in 2017.