AUTHOR: Matt Phelan
STARTED: April 21, 2012
FINISHED: April 21, 2012
PAGES: 203
GENRE: Graphic Novels
FIRST SENTENCE: The dust can have it.
SUMMARY: [From Barnes and Noble.com] In Kansas in the year 1937, eleven-year-old Jack Clark faces his share of ordinary challenges: local bullies, his father’s failed expectations, a little sister with an eye for trouble. But he also has to deal with the effects of the Dust Bowl, including rising tensions in his small town and the spread of a shadowy illness. Certainly a case of "dust dementia" would explain who (or what) Jack has glimpsed in the Talbot’s abandoned barn — a sinister figure with a face like rain. In a land where it never rains, it’s hard to trust what you see with your own eyes — and harder still to take heart and be a hero when the time comes. With phenomenal pacing, sensitivity, and a sure command of suspense, Matt Phelan ushers us into a world where desperation is transformed by unexpected courage.
THOUGHTS: This book needs to be a movie. The images are so cinematic that they float off the page. I was enraptured by the movement the art created. The character of "the storm" is phenomenal and I would love to see how he translates to the screen.
The story is told in very simple dialog and focuses on only a few characters. The narrative is told mainly in the emotion crafted in the images, but what dialog there is packs a punch. The main character, Jack, is a bit of an outsider who is trying to find his way. He grows during the book into a character with strength and fortitude. The final scenes are some of the best I have ever seen in a graphic novel.
This is a wonderful story. It may be a quick read, but it will stick with you.
RATING: 8/10 [Terrific]
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