He loves her. She loves her. She loves him. The modern love triangle is an interesting theme for a reason. There’s built in drama as the audience consistently tries to find out who will end up with who. Include elements of a crime novella and you have Strangers in Paradise.
Katchoo and Francine have been friends since high school and have grown to become life partners. Katchoo is an artist who both loves and is in love with Francine. Francine holds a variety of jobs and is a bit more ambiguous about her feelings for her best friend, unsure if she can make the romantic leap. The two of them share a small apartment and everything is as it should be until David walks into their world. David is a poet that falls desperately in love with Katchoo and changes the lives of the duo forever. Soon after, it’s revealed that Katchoo has a troubled past of prostitution and abuse. For the last eight years, she’s been on the run from her former employer, mob boss Mrs. Parker.
The joy of their relationship is contagious and envelopes the reader. Terry Moore has an uncanny ability to display a reaction. His line work is the most expressive I’ve seen. There is never a single doubt about what the character is feeling. These characters are alive somewhere and I want to meet them, invite them for dinner, and fall in love with them all over again.