A review by uosdwisrdewoh
The Two Lives of Penelope by Judith Vanistendael

4.0

This is a quiet story about the emotional trials of a Belgian surgeon who regularly travels to work in the Syrian Civil War and her struggles connecting with her family during a visit home. It’s beautifully rendered in impressionistic watercolors, and Vanistendael’s facility with quiet family moments is a wonder to behold. There are a few hiccups in storytelling, however, when I couldn’t tell whether I was supposed to read across two pages or read each page individually. Each double-page spread is drawn as one piece of art, and while that looks wonderful, it impairs the readability a bit. Those hiccups aside, this is a lovely little piece of work.