ABBA Looking for Frida

Anneleen, in a drunken burst of enthusiasm, auditions for an ABBA tribute band by voicemail. Together with Bert, Bavo and Astrid, she forms the Honey Honeys – they perform at birthday parties and cheesy song festivals at first, but find their way onto larger stages before long. Anneleen and Bavo fall in love, and the tribute band, too, is soon made up of two couples. As their success grows, their lives start to run increasingly in parallel with those of the original ABBA members, with all the associated drama.

Maarten Vande Wiele’s typical cartoon style is a perfect match for this story about glamour and gloss. The simple design and the bright and cheerful colours, which are evocative of the 1970s, create a book that is nicely in keeping with the subject. Vande Wiele’s unabashed love for ABBA leaps off the pages. For one thing, he incorporates translated song lyrics into his dialogues – it’s up to the reader to spot the many references.