“I Thought You Loved Me” by MariNaomi has been released by Fieldmouse Press.
This Gen-X memoir, which is told in prose, collage, and sequential art, explores queer culture, feminism, race, class, sex work, and the flawed nature of memory as Mari works to uncover a long-lost best friend that she can no longer remember but can’t let go.
Jodie was Mari’s best friend through their teens and twenties. As young Mari began to explore her identity as a bisexual, biracial outsider in a rich, white town, Jodie was her constant confidant, even kissing Mari out of the closet. The two were inseparable as they sought to gain a foothold in life and love as young feminists, Jodie an entrepreneurial sex worker, and Mari working in the boys’ club of video game development in the late ’90s.
Then, suddenly and mysteriously, Jodie ends their friendship. Years later, Mari is stunned when she discovers why.
Now much older, Mari is ready to forgive, but her memories of Jodie seem to have vanished. Through journal excerpts, letters, conversations with friends, and cross-country travel, she pieces together lost memories from a lost friendship, in an attempt at catharsis. The reader follows in real time as the author unravels her own mystery, examining the expectations of friendship, the unreliability of memory, and the struggle to let go.
MariNaomi (they/them) is the award-winning author and illustrator of “Kiss & Tell: A Romantic Resume, Ages 0 to 22” (2011), “Dragon’s Breath and Other True Stories” (2014), “Turning Japanese” (2dcloud, 2016; extended edition Oni Press, 2023), “I Thought YOU Hated ME” (2016), the “Life on Earth” trilogy (2018-2020), and “Dirty Produce” (2021).
Their work has appeared in nearly 100 print publications and has been featured on websites such as The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, L.A. Review of Books, San Francisco Examiner, and BuzzFeed. Their comics have been translated into French, German and Russian.
MariNaomi’s comics and paintings have been featured in the Smithsonian, the de Young Museum, the Cartoon Art Museum, the Asian Art Museum, and the Japanese American National Museum.
MariNaomi lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with their partner and a menagerie of beloved rescue animals.
“This book is a tremendous achievement, a penetrating exploration of memory and relationships and the messiness of living with a changing self and other changing selfs. The art is intriguing and beautiful, and it complements and enhances the story. I’ve never read anything else quite like this.” — Steph Cha, author of “Your House Will Pay”
“Brilliant, heartbreaking, revealing as a dream.” – Alexander Chee, author of “How to Write An Autobiographical Novel”
“Innovative…captivating…equal parts wistful and skeptical, wise and all too human.” – Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Dazzling in theme, story, and visuals…a standout graphic memoir.” – Foreword, starred review
“A visual feast…ideal for anyone who remembers the betrayal of losing your best friend but still knows that we all grow and change—so the future holds hope.” – Booklist
“‘I Thought You Loved Me’ is a f—ing amazing book.” — Gina Murrell, Razorcake
“One of the most incredible pieces of art I have read in some time… This will be one of my top picks of the year, if not THE top pick.” — Jimmy Aquino, Comic News Insider