Secret Passages 1985-1986 by Axelle Lenoir – 3 stars
In an effort to untangle her complicated feelings about the loss of her cosmic twin, author Axelle decides to unspool her life in an off-kilter autobiographical comic.
This is a surreal and funny graphic novel which depicts a year in young Axelle’s life as she starts going to school, forms a strange connection with the forest by her home, and begins to suffer in the grip of acute anxiety. The art is both atmospheric and humorous, and I enjoyed the many visits present-day Axelle makes to reinterpret past events and emotions. Axelle’s siblings are absolute scene-stealers, and I loved every time they appeared on the page.
However, it’s definitely a slow moving story, and while there’s some strange elements upfront (alien parents, Tonio’s imaginary friend who may be more demonic than imaginary), the cosmic twin and other elements are only briefly shown or discussed. They’ll probably be expounded upon in future installments, but in the meanwhile we are left with a lot of questions and very few answers, which made the reading experience of this volume less satisfying for me.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.
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The Ghostkeeper by Johanna Taylor – 4.5 stars
Ever since a close brush with death as a child, Dorian can see ghosts, and considers his duty to console and counsel those still stuck in the mortal realm. But when ghosts start turning up claiming they’ve been locked out of their final resting place, he quickly becomes overwhelmed by the demands of the dead.
Sometimes a book surprises you in the best way when it charges off headlong into grappling with difficult and unexpected themes. This is definitely the case for The Ghostkeeper, which discusses the concepts of burnout and the importance of keeping boundaries while helping others, as well as grief and our relationship with death. I also liked how the author managed to pack in plenty of nuance for both the main and supporting characters, fleshing out the motivations behind their sometimes misguided actions.
And it’s just a beautiful graphic novel! I absolutely loved the art, which runs the gamut from mysterious to humorous to romantic to creepy as the story calls for it, and does all of it perfectly, establishing characters and backstories in a matter of pages.
However, I did wish that Brody, Dorian’s flatmate and love interest, got a little more development, as he feels flat compared to pretty much all the other characters we meet despite having an important role in the story. There’s also some questions about how Dorian came to be living and working how he did that I would have liked learning the answers for.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.