review

BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS – FABIEN VEHLMANN, KERASCOËT

Beautiful DarknessBeautiful Darkness by Fabien Vehlmann, Kerascoët
My rating: 5/5 cats
One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarOne Star


 photo IMG_6425_zpswdwsvarz.jpg

this is without a doubt the darkest, sickest, most jaw-droppingly insane graphic novel i have ever read.

which is me paying a compliment

it’s a book that explores that old philosophical thought experiment: if a little girl dies in the forest and no one is around to see it, do little fairytale characters crawl out of her head??

and if so, do they then find themselves with no idea where they are or what they are meant to do now and suddenly confronting many dangers from plants


 photo IMG_5872_zpspqu86kck.jpg

animals


 photo IMG_5871_zpszypz6drz.jpg

and each other??


 photo IMG_5873_zpsjppyrqgy.jpg

oh, it’s a chilling scene, man…don’t get attached.

it’s a relentlessly grim book, and much more intense than i had anticipated since the artwork is all cutie-pie wide-eyed and sugary

and every time something grotesque or startling happened i would think, “well, surely that’s the most horrible thing that will happen in this book, right?”

View Spoiler »

and i found myself proven wrong

View Spoiler »

time

View Spoiler »

and time again

View Spoiler »

page after page. no joke.

everything starts out all nice and cooperative when these tiny creatures are first thrust into the world wandering dazed, unmoored and bewildered, but things quickly devolve into Lord of the Flies-style anarchy, selfishness, manipulation and rapid desensitization; from casual cannibalism to equally casual live burials and even the best-intentioned are ultimately forced to acclimate themselves to the harsh world by accessing their most primal survival instincts.


 photo IMG_6431_zpsu12hhg7v.jpg

i’m gonna drop some words now, and those of you who have read the book will remember what they correspond to and we can all have ourselves a little shudder together:

slurp plop plop

revolting.

but revolting in that way that totally rejuvenates me because i love knowing i can still be horrified.

i really want a sequel to this, or a rec for a book that is as gorgeously repellent, horrifyingly alluring, beautifully dark.

so hit me with ’em.

read my reviews on goodreads

previous
next
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Amazon Disclaimer

Bloggycomelately.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon properties including but not limited to, amazon.com, or endless.com, MYHABIT.com, SmallParts.com, or AmazonWireless.com.

Donate

this feels gauche, but when i announced i was starting a blog, everyone assured me this is a thing that is done. i’m not on facebook, i’ve never had a cellphone or listened to a podcast; so many common experiences of modern life are foreign to me, but i’m certainly struggling financially, so if this is how the world works now, i’d be foolish to pass it up. any support will be received with equal parts gratitude and bewilderment.

To Top