The Book Bump

First published: 2017
Author: Pierre Wazem
Illustrator: Tom Tirabosco
Language: French
Genre: Urban Fiction
My rating: 1/5

Friends Matt, Serge, and Igor take off to a remote mountain cabin for the weekend. Serge and Igor return to the retreat after their friend Matt goes missing.

This was my first time reading a graphic novel, and I must admit the experience somewhat underwhelmed me. But perhaps that has more to do with the story than the medium.

The back blurb promised “a lyrical and touching tale of friendship put to the test amid mourning and nostalgia”. I found, however, that nothing much happens in the story. It lacked emotion. It feels like trying too hard to be something it isn’t.

It’s just two moments in Igor and Serge’s lives seen side by side: when Matt was present and when he wasn’t.

A case could be made that the story is about suicide. Matt didn’t slip and fall but jumped. One of the characters believes this is possible, and some scenes in the flashbacks could point in that direction. The characters are on a quest to try and understand what happened. They are seeking closure. Not knowing what happened is eating away at Igor, who feels somewhat responsible for the death of his friend.

However, there are no significant revelations and no fantastic insights. There is no new take on dealing with loss other than learning to accept and live with it. The only wisdom, perhaps, is that Serge and Igor seem somewhat closer than before. It is as though they feel united in their grief despite disagreeing on how Matt came to lose his life.

Perhaps because I failed to identify with any of the characters, I couldn’t feel their pain when they returned to the cabin to mourn their friend’s loss and try to understand what happened. Maybe I haven’t experienced enough loss to appreciate the story truly.

The blurb also promised “humorous conversations”, but I didn’t find the story funny. The author tries to be witty, but the humour is clichéd and quite stereotypical. How is it still acceptable to mock someone for their chosen profession because it doesn’t ‘fit in’ to the archaic vision that there are male and female jobs? I mean, seriously, this is 2017 we’re talking about.

The art is distinct and quite minimalist, which is in keeping with the story. It neither outshines the story nor underdelivers.

Will I read another graphic novel after this one? Yes, but I might be more attentive to reviews first.