How To Date A Dozen Men

By Samara Gan
Graphic novel/Epigram/Paperback/176 pages/$26.93/Amazon SG (amzn.to/3MoNw36)
5 stars

Dating is hard, but dating a dozen men is even harder when none of them is what you are looking for.

Told as a semi-autobiographical story over the course of a reunion with her best friend, Singaporean writer-illustrator Samara Gan recounts her journey from having never dated to dating a dozen men in two years.

The struggle to balance a demanding corporate job with dating is a relatable experience for many singletons. Adding to Gan’s ambition to become a comic book artist, many of the dates are squeezed into tiny pockets of free time.

The sentiment she expresses towards the end of the book is familiar to many who find themselves questioning if romance is unattainable.

Gan says: “I want someone I can spend hours with and still never get enough of, someone who never makes me feel like I need to change myself, someone I can laugh with about the littlest things, but these things happen only to the heroines in novels and movies. I’m nothing like them.”

The debut author took the plunge as a full-time freelance artist in February. She shares her sketches on Instagram (@samarasketch) and sells them at creator markets and on her online shop.

With adorably clean artwork and accessible dialogue, the graphic novel feels like a conversation with a new friend about the woes of dating.

Gan bravely puts her experiences on the page for all to see, sharing some incredibly vulnerable moments of self-reflection and growth.

What looks on the surface to be a lighthearted read packs a surprising punch in all the right ways.

Gan humorously describes the dating scene “like shopping at a supermarket. You get to sample the goods before you buy, and if you don’t like it, you don’t have to buy at all”.

Her best friend rightfully points out the comment as being unfair and unfeminist. But Gan’s feelings are understandable, given a series of bad dates set up by an inordinately expensive matchmaking service.

Short chapters help to separate the men and mark changes in time.

While the faces of her dates are never revealed (being unmemorable has perks in regard to privacy), each one stands out enough in his differences for readers to know him by nicknames such as “Baby Mustache Guy” and “Vietnam War Guy”.

Where many new graphic novelists tend to lean dialogue-heavy, Gan creates balance by trusting her artwork to add context, emotion and detail to the scene.

Her sense of panel framing is sophisticated for a new artist, likely influenced by years of reading comics.

Also, her ability to pick the right moments to zoom in on a feature or detail adds comedy and flow to the story without detracting from the larger scene.

Gan’s journey is a comforting reminder that while dating can be hard, especially when everyone else seems to be attached, there is nothing wrong with taking the time to chase one’s dreams and wait for someone worthy.

If you like this, read: We Should Hang Out Sometime by Josh Sundquist (Little Brown, 2014, $18.18, Amazon SG, go to amzn.to/3QIHoW4). Realising at 25 years of age that he has never had a girlfriend, Sundquist embarks on a semi-scientific investigation into his bachelor status by asking his former crushes what went wrong.