A self-portrait of writer Lee Lai.Supplied
In the thick heat of a Montreal summer night, Cannon begins in ruin: a restaurant shattered, and at its centre, Cannon herself – debilitated by anxiety, soaked in sweat and unsure what, exactly, she’s destroyed.
Lee Lai’s second graphic novel, published by Drawn and Quarterly this fall, tells the story of Cannon and Trish, two queer, second-generation Chinese teens bound by horror films and suburban boredom. In the uncertain stillness of their late twenties, that closeness has frayed into ritual – but when Cannon unravels, Trish remains intact.
The Globe and Mail spoke with Lai, who hails from Australia but lives in Canada, about a story in which love, though strained, lingers, and survival sometimes looks like simply showing up.
Supplied
In the book, a mentor tells Trish, “To the funding board, you’re a piece of a cultural niche that they’d very much like in their pocket.” Trish responds, “Which part – the gay part or the Chinese part?” How can we celebrate identities without commodifying them?
It’s a good question, and a difficult one to answer! I channelled a lot of my ambivalence about this dilemma into Trish, her own ambivalence as a writer, and the decisions she makes from a place of cynicism and desperation.
Ultimately, I think a creative person from any marginalized identity does well to think deeply about how they want to share their personal experiences with the world – certainly the answer is not to just avoid sharing them. I think that artists (and everyone) can make the best decisions for themselves when they’re feeling supported, whether that be by the creative industry, by their community, even by the state. Whether an artist feels pressure to share their experiences in a way that commodifies their identity is inseparable from whether they have secure housing and access to health care, for example.
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There’s a podcast Cannon listens to – a guided meditation that emphasizes a particular focus on the body and breath. What is your relationship to mental health as it relates to the body?
I love thinking about mental health in relation to the body, so it was always a matter of time until it showed up in the writing. I’ve gained a lot of knowledge and skill sets from somatic therapy and from what we would now call the “wellness industry,” but I’ve also developed some level of wariness about it. In this moment in time when genocides are being committed and fascism is on the rise, I’m wary of the ways that wellness dialogue encourages passivity and individualism – despite self-regulation obviously being important.
In the story, I wanted Cannon to be challenged in her tendency to avoid confrontation via meditation and self-soothing techniques. She comes to the same realization that I’ve had: that those things aren’t mutually exclusive.
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Would you say this book is a sapphic love story, or do you find that label limiting? There’s a scene in which Cannon receives a kiss from a girl, and the sheer joy captured in your final panel evoked a universal feeling in me.
Ultimately, we’re all constantly feeling similar stuff, and I’m always happy and honoured to learn about the times that people of different lived experiences to my own resonate with my work. That said, I’m happy to have the book categorized as a sapphic love story – I came of age in a lesbian subculture and so the influence goes deep both for me and my work. Plus, those labels help the gays find the gay content and let’s not make it difficult for the gays to get what they want!
What’s more challenging and time-consuming: mending a best friendship or working on a graphic novel?
Mending a best friendship is totally more challenging and time-consuming. It’s a much less linear process. At least with graphic novels there is a sense that if I work hard enough, something tangible will come out of it. People and relationships are so much more nebulous – and precious. The stakes are much higher, and the details can’t and shouldn’t be controlled. Though maybe there is a secret strategy and I overcomplicate things in my head. Who knows! Not me!
This interview has been edited and condensed.