LUCILLE

I recently read the newest addition to Top Shelf’s catalogue, Lucille, by Ludovic Debeurme, translated from the original French version.

This is what the publisher has to say about it:

“This rich and intimate story follows two teenagers, Lucille and Arthur, as they struggle with the complex legacies inherited from their families: legacies of illness and pride, of despair and hope. Somehow two lonely misfits form an instant connection, and with the intoxicating boldness of youth, they journey together across Europe, discovering each other, discovering themselves, and hoping against all odds to make their own destiny.

Lucille is more than a story about anorexia, alcoholism, and adolescence. It’s a story of love amidst tragedy, full of the halting awkwardness of life and the operatic grandeur of teenage emotion.”

Amen. Here are my two cents:

An enormous work of staggering complexity, Lucille (Top Shelf Productions, 2011) explores the themes of childhood, eating disorders, love, death, relationships, and life itself, in a brilliant display of emotionally-charged line drawings and true-to-life conversations.

Debeurme’s book was marketed as being as weighty and affecting as Blankets, a substantial claim that, now read, I can support and suggest myself.

Lucille is an important work from a master storyteller and I can’t wait to get my hands on the follow-up story, Renee.