Point one: I read Pavil’s Mask by Jérémy Perrodeau in English, though my images taken from the online reader site I was reading this from, are in what I am assuming is French. Point two: I know I say it often, but this book was f’d up! But not in a bad way. Or even, a good way. It is what it is. The story is based in a Chinese lore and has feelings of other Asian cultures and Indigenous cultures with a large and modern intersection of interactions.
I am not sure I will find a finished copy when it comes out in mid-late July 2025. I did not love it, though as I was reading I was thinking, “This is some good “sh&&” here. The biggest part of the book I will say is “You cannot see the face of God.” And our traveler, Pavli and his journey to that lesson is not necessarily a straight path to that answer. There are clever, familiar and fresh moments as we take a spiritual trip. As we learn of faith and what that means, how we are as humans, which ways are “best” to live and more. Included in the spirituality are environmentalism, greed and the idea of families. We touch on several pieces of a bigger puzzle and while we have a The End ending, it is a The End For Now ending, and a What is Next ending. And honestly, What is Next might not have an answer. Or it might. And that is the point.
While reading, I found the book to be overly familiar, having read the theme before. But I was also thinking that it has good points and really is hitting the mark. You take from it what you put into it. And this is probably one of the first books I felt I got more from because I was reading it online versus having a physical copy. The details of the illustrations are not details pronounced enough to pay attention to them as deeply as other books, but they are important as much is told via them and not with text (which is none too minimal at times).