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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
Creepy, but oh, so morbidly cute. Artwork is interesting to look at, but all the death is a bit much. Somehow you feel the deaths are essential to the story. I rather like it.
Creepy. If you've been looking for a fairytale version of Lord of the Flies, this is it. It's heavy on the concept and light on plot and character development, which bothered me a bit. It relied heavily on surprising the reader with the grotesque. The art was charming, which made the violence all the more disturbing. It was so unique that I feel like it deserves the the stars I gave it. Don't think I could recommend it to anyone, though, unless I'm trying to make them nauseous.
I can completely understand why this adult graphic novel has gotten mixed reviews. It is as oxymoronic as its title suggests. We are introduced to set of creatures that are both fey-like in their appearance and countenance and often Moomin-like in their sense of exploration and play. Yet, as the gradually lose themselves to their world, they become equally dark, selfish, manipulative, deeply disturbed creatures. And their home? The slowly decomposing body of a dead girl in the woods.
Fabien Vehlmann & Kerascoët shows us that just as the girl's corpse slowly rots so too does the hidden veil of reality surrounding this odd little cast of characters. They may seem sweet and naive but turn your back and they'll eat their own best friend. This is a fantastical study in human nature and art for Kerascoët's watercolour illustrations are as beautiful as they are haunting. This is, I suppose, a horror story which delves into our darkest psyche. Certainly not one I will forget for a long time.
Fabien Vehlmann & Kerascoët shows us that just as the girl's corpse slowly rots so too does the hidden veil of reality surrounding this odd little cast of characters. They may seem sweet and naive but turn your back and they'll eat their own best friend. This is a fantastical study in human nature and art for Kerascoët's watercolour illustrations are as beautiful as they are haunting. This is, I suppose, a horror story which delves into our darkest psyche. Certainly not one I will forget for a long time.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
WOW. I was not prepared for some of this lord of the flies shit. Only one part was “too much” for me. But this was very good.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don't know how to feel, which is a great thing! It's like reading about the evil twin of Alice in Wonderland. These cute little creatures are twisted and manipulative. The exquisite drawing and the disturbing topic creates a great dichotomy. It's a kind of weird I like.
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood
exquisitely weird and dark. Happy to have stumbled upon this wonderful book.
This book was unsettling.
Let’s start with how I found myself with this graphic novel. Per usual, on days when I wander downtown with the sole purpose of reading, I made a pit stop at the local comic book shop, to just poke around and see what’s new before heading to coffee shop above the indie bookstore to read the book I brought with me.
So, really just browsing (with no intention to buy) I pulled Beautiful Darkness from the shelf mostly because it was pretty. The watercolor illustrations immediately caught my attention. And then I flipped it open…and oh. That wasn’t what I was expecting.
It’s drawn as if it were a children’s book, told within standard fairy tale tropes, and highly reminiscent of the adventurers of the Borrowers. So that is what I was expecting. And it did come through. These things are very much part of this book.
But it’s also Lord of the Flies.
Because it is genuinely dark. Reading through the first few pages, I found myself gasping in shock at each new (horrific) plot twist, illustrated in bright colors, soft lines, and perhaps worse, words of kindness.
But really, when all is said and done, and the story ends in literal darkness (two pages of solid black), it’s the story that’s not told that holds the most sway. I will omit spoilers, but it is worthwhile to go back, to study the panels of this secondary, subtextual (subillustrated?) story.
There is a horror hinted at that rockets Aurora’s into another stratosphere of disturbing.
So, for emphasis, I will sayit again: Beautiful Darkness is one of the most unsettling stories I have read in a while. I finihsed it in under an hour, but I have a feeling it will stay with me much longer. There is a morality I am being shown that I can’t quite pin down. Or lack thereof. I’m not sure which would be preferable.
Let’s start with how I found myself with this graphic novel. Per usual, on days when I wander downtown with the sole purpose of reading, I made a pit stop at the local comic book shop, to just poke around and see what’s new before heading to coffee shop above the indie bookstore to read the book I brought with me.
So, really just browsing (with no intention to buy) I pulled Beautiful Darkness from the shelf mostly because it was pretty. The watercolor illustrations immediately caught my attention. And then I flipped it open…and oh. That wasn’t what I was expecting.
It’s drawn as if it were a children’s book, told within standard fairy tale tropes, and highly reminiscent of the adventurers of the Borrowers. So that is what I was expecting. And it did come through. These things are very much part of this book.
But it’s also Lord of the Flies.
Because it is genuinely dark. Reading through the first few pages, I found myself gasping in shock at each new (horrific) plot twist, illustrated in bright colors, soft lines, and perhaps worse, words of kindness.
But really, when all is said and done, and the story ends in literal darkness (two pages of solid black), it’s the story that’s not told that holds the most sway. I will omit spoilers, but it is worthwhile to go back, to study the panels of this secondary, subtextual (subillustrated?) story.
There is a horror hinted at that rockets Aurora’s into another stratosphere of disturbing.
So, for emphasis, I will sayit again: Beautiful Darkness is one of the most unsettling stories I have read in a while. I finihsed it in under an hour, but I have a feeling it will stay with me much longer. There is a morality I am being shown that I can’t quite pin down. Or lack thereof. I’m not sure which would be preferable.