Book: Mail Order Bride
Written by Mark Kalesniko (Fantagraphic Books)
Reviewed by Erick Mertz

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Ask one hundred people why they endeavored on legally bound lives together and further how they met, and likely you would receive one hundred unique answers.

If in that one hundred person panel one couple found their way to the altar via mail order it would be remarkable. It is a rare, largely hidden part of our cultural exchange. A modern spin on the age old premise of arranged marriage, the perils of a purchased wife isn't entirely unexplored in art. Nicole Kidman's portrayal of a Russian con woman in "Birthday Girl" wearing the disguise of a sincere spouse was one of the hottest, most affecting screen performances of 2001. It is as harrowing to travel across an ocean to meet your new husband as it is to await your purchased goods.

Where Mark Kalesniko takes the business of nuptials is to the more realistic end than "Birthday Girl." His story of a young Korean woman's attempt at adjustment to small town Canadian life with her new toy nerd husband emulates the struggles of any couple thrust into matrimony without first testing temperament.

She wants to take art classes and find her bohemian streak; he expects an overwhelming amount of exotic loyalty, just like the advertisement promised.

These expectations are what destroys a marriage and precisely what makes Mail Order Bride such a successful story. Kalesniko infuses his characters with the unrelenting will of two people who, regardless of circumstance, need certain things in their lives to be happy. His graphic novel isn't the bold artistic blast that others work to be. It is a simple, deftly executed story filled with finely sketched drawings and, moreover, deftly crafted situations.

© 2003 - Erick Mertz