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In-between more “serious” novels, I’m on a bit of a graphic novel trip - I just finished The Arrival, I’m waiting on a delivery of Bone, Watchmen, and From Hell, and the almost full set of Akira’s sitting on my shelf waiting to be read. Which, ironically, was why The Invention of Hugo Cabret surprised me so much. The book’s a fascinating cross between a traditional book, a graphic novel, and a movie. It’s about three inches thick, and jam-packed with high quality art. Interestingly, and quite uniquely though, the art has a strong storyboarding feel to it, selectively and deliberately highlighting specific points and temporal aspects of various scenes to emphasise the cinematic nature of the narrative. Right down to the greasy hair of the protagonist, in fact. Powerfully so, given the tale. It’s not so much a book as a graphic movie, using text to support the story where appropriate. The book follows the experiences of inventor, thief, and clockmaker, Hugo Cabret, after he’s left an orphan in a train station through an unfortunate chain of events. Saying any more would spoil the story, so I won’t. Whether or not I’d recommend it is a hard one. As a story to read your kids, yes. Wholeheartedly, in fact. It’s a touching tale, told in a highly unique way. And, it’s strong enough to appeal to both adults and children. As an introduction to the graphic novel? Probably not - it’s very enjoyable, but the art quality and story isn’t as complex or creative as other entry points such as Sandman or Watchmen. On the balance, I’m coming down on the side of recommended, given I have kids. |
Recommended? "yes"