Jessica (HDB)

I picked this up on a whim, while wandering the library last week. There's nothing I love more than to peek at what they've added to the graphic novel section under "library favorites". Someone out there wanted me to read this, and I happily obliged! Especially once I opened it to take a cursory glance at the first page. Three Shadows both looked, and sounded, like something I needed to take home with me. So, I did.

This is the story of Joachim, an adorable bundle of excitement and youth. The reader is introduced to his little family unit and the safe haven they call home. Full of fish to catch, berries to pick, and any number of adventures a young boy might want to have. I took instantly to Joachim and his family. They were so happy. So very peaceful. Then, as the synopsis promised, the shadows appeared. Suddenly this little family was afraid, and on the brink of breaking. I can assure you, this isn't always the happiest of stories. It is, however, a beautiful one.

What sold me on this book, more than anything else, was the illustrations. Three Shadows is done in a style that is very sketch-book in nature. Stark white and black, but with so much movement that it's not hard at all to follow along. I actually appreciated the lack of color in these panels. It allowed me the opportunity to bring my own color to the story. To paint in the joy, the innocence, and even the heartbreak. It was a daring move on the part of the illustrator, since so many graphic novels are richly colored, but it is well suited to this particular story.

I can't say much more without spoiling anything. This is a story of love, loss, and the great lengths that people will go to in order to protect the ones that mean the most. I don't know what I was expecting when I first picked this up, but I can assure you that it lived up to whatever that was. This wasn't my favorite graphic novel of the year, but it's definitely up there. Recommended to all.