The Reprieve

This graphic novel takes place during the German occupation of France in World War II. Julien, the protagonist, observes life in Cambeyrac from behind the half-closed blinds of his hiding place, without imagining that he might never be able to escape his fate.

At the end of June 1943, Julien enters through the window of Aunt Angèle's house, while the train he should have been on, heading for Germany, is bombed by the Allies. His wallet is found in the pocket of one of the victims. Julien will then have to attend his funeral from behind the half-closed shutters of the house of Mr Thomassin, his primary school teacher, deported for being a Communist and a Jew. It is there, in his new hiding place, in a privileged location, that he will show more spend his days observing life outside, but above all Cécile.

In the dramatic context of World War II, Gibrat offers us unforgettable characters, breath-taking landscapes, and a realistic chronicle of the daily lives of the inhabitants of a small French village, faced with the fear, anxiety and tragedy generated by the German occupation. Julien witnesses everything from afar, including the conflict between local resisters and the militia, and invites the reader to accompany him on his voyeuristic adventures and daring nocturnal forays through fields and empty streets. Can he come back to life, in the truest sense of the word, or will he be forever a ghost, slowly fading from the memory of his friends and acquaintances? show less

The art in this deserves at least two more stars...but my ambivalence about the protagonist, especially in light of the awesome characters surrounding him, left me feeling less impressed with the book than I wanted to be.

Magnifique album. Le dessin de Gibrat est exceptionnel. Julien s'est échappé du train qui l'emmène au STO en 1943 et se réfugie dans son village du Lot dans la maison abandonnée de l'instituteur, arrêté parce que communiste. Par un heureux malentendu, le train qui l'emmenait en Allemagne a été bombardé et un corps a été retrouvé avec les papiers de Julien qu'il avait perdu lors de son évasion. Officiellement mort, Julien cacahé dans son village assiste à la vie du village divisé entre les résistants, ses collabos et miliciens, et espère retrouvé Cécile son amour d'enfance et écoute à la radio l'avancée des russes et des alliés sur le front italien. Julien, qui reste un grand adolescent un peu inconscient de la show more gravité de la situation, subit le temps et assiste comme spectateur à l'histoire. Histoire tendre mais tragique qui le rattrapera. Le dessin de Gibrat donne une épaisseur aux personnages, les croquants dans la vie de tous les jours sur la place du village... on entendrait presque les cigales, on ressent le froid de l'hiver... bref un très très bel album show less