Misuzu Hara is a quiet, reserved 24-year-old high school teacher whose world is turned upside down after her friend's fiancÈ rapes her. Her attempt to connect with one of her students, himself a victim of sexual trauma, results in an unlikely romance, and the repercussions of these events affect everyone around them in often unpredicatable ways. Torikai's work is a frank and nuanced examination of the emotional and practical effects of sexual violence, rendering the messy realities in gorgeously refined linework and dialogue far more naturalistic than most manga. The author veers away from blunt indictment to paint one of the most complex and fascinating psychological portraits of both rapist and victim in any medium. Very much not just for manga fans, Sensei's Pious Lie will appeal to readers of graphic novels and literary fiction in general.
(W/A/CA) Akane Torikai
384 pages, softcover, VERTICAL COMICS
