Idle Days
First Second Books
Writer: Thomas Desaulniers-Brousseau
Artist: Simon Leclerc
SPOILER FREE.
Thomas Desaulniers-Brousseau’s debut graphic novel IDLE DAYS showcases a solid talent for visual storytelling and, for the most part, delivers an interesting story.
This book is not a new release (it came out in 2018), but I was inspired to write this review for this very reason. First-time work tends to go unnoticed amongst the plethora of new books by already-established writers and I strongly believe lesser-known material like this should be given attention. I actually discovered this book recently while randomly browsing my local bookstore; the cover design caught my eye along with the art style while flipping through the first few pages. Hidden between rows of books with familiar names, it’s always great picking up something you have absolutely no clue about.
The story takes place in 1940s Quebec and follows Jerome, a young man who has gone AWOL. Because of this, he’s forced to hide out at his grandfather’s house in the woods in order to avoid being caught by the military and face punishment. Although it’s never specified exactly why he made this decision, as you come to find out more details about the family’s history, the reason becomes apparent. Once he arrives, his grandfather has him help with various home improvement projects throughout the property; both as a form of self-development and to simply pass time. But aside from these activities, there’s not much else to occupy his time with so he becomes fascinated by local mysteries surrounding previous residents of his grandfather’s house.
Jerome becomes so obsessed with this that it even leads to some difficulties in his relationships with family and friends respectively. Everyone around him thinks he’s crazy for wanting to solve this “case” but it’s simply because they can’t relate to his extreme isolation and desperate desire to find a purpose in his life.
As mentioned earlier, the art by Simon Leclerc is one of the main reasons I decided to give this book a shot. The story’s aesthetic relies strongly on dark autumnal tones, with a majority of the images soaked in different oranges, reds, and browns. This design choice allows the book to maintain its aura of cold monotony but without it ever feeling too bleak either. Panels have a good variety to their design and there are even some “spiritual sequences” that are not bound by borders that are interesting as well. Desaulniers-Brousseau also does an excellent job of balancing between dialog heavy panels and silent ones.
All in all, while the ending leaves something to be desired, I would still recommend this book. Especially to those looking for something a little different that isn’t related to any pre-existing franchise. It’s a solid debut and I suspect it won’t be the last we see from the duo of Desaulniers-Brousseau and Leclerc.
Idle Days
A solid debut by Thomas Desaulniers-Brousseau and artist Simon Leclerc. Believable characters and a unique visual style that will surely keep readers engaged.
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