This is my third read by the author, so guess I’m officially a fan. Wasn’t sure at first, thought maybe the art would be too cartoonish for me, but it actually it surprisingly effective for how minimal it is. Delisle manages to do a lot with seemingly such simply crafted panels. It works especially well for this story, because it is by nature a bare minimum story, a real life tale of an NGO worker kidnapped and (quite inexpertly, albeit not too brutally) held for ransom for four months. I say inexpertly…well, you’ll find out why.
So this is a fresh territory for Delisle who’s made his name writing first person travelogues to so conventionally inhospitable corners of the world. The location here stays in line, but the story belongs to another, Delisle is just a conduit. And there isn’t much to the story, most of it in a man locked up in an almost bare space, so it really showcases the author’s talent, not to mention the protagonist’s spirit, just how compelling of a read it is. And it’s a very quick one too, don’t let the page count intimidate you, it took me maybe all of 95 minutes to finish. Delisle understand the graphic medium well enough to rely on images to speak, so it isn’t very text heavy. And it isn’t as bleak as you’d think it might be, oddly enough. While I may never understand the maniacal altruism of people like the main character here that drives them to such dangerous far away places in desperate attempts to improve, care for and save (and this guy went back into the field after taking just six months to recover and continued at it for 18 years), it’s certainly impressive to know they exist, quietly heroic and psychologically resilient. So it isn’t just an interesting story, it’s also an inspiring one. Recommended.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2023
Categories |