Invisible Differences: A Story of Asperger’s, Adulting, and Living a Life in Full Color

Dachez and Caroline explore life with Asperger’s syndrome with candor and compassion in their English-language debut. Marguerite, a fictionalized version of Dachez, is a young Parisian woman who loves vegetarian food, sunny days, and her pets—and is frustrated about the ways she’s different from other people. Caroline’s delightfully loose, loopy style, reminiscent of Julia Wertz, captures Marguerite’s anxiety: the suffocating background noise of her gossipy office, how she can’t stand the feeling of most clothing, and the Herculean effort it takes her to get through a party. An adult diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome comes as a joyous relief—but how is she supposed to explain it to ignorant friends, coworkers, and doctors? Caroline’s use of highly saturated color creeping in and out of black and gray scenes brilliantly conveys the intrusive intensity of Marguerite’s experience of the world: scribbled red letters for the distracting babble of children, sour yellow for a dismissive doctor’s office, and cheery teal to backlight a gathering of Marguerite’s fellow “aspies.” This soulful and serious look at Asperger’s syndrome brings an informed and optimistic perspective to the fore. [em](Aug.) [/em]