The Holidays by Blexbolex

Description

"The summer holidays were almost done. I had the whole garden, the fields, the lake and the sun all to myself, until Grandad came home with that elephant.”

A pale, black-haired girl aged somewhere between seven and twelve is enjoying her idyllic countryside summer alone with her grandpa until a new houseguest arrives. The animal behaves just like another child, with awkward table manners, but it tries to fit in with her, to no avail. The girl refuses to accept this change and lets this guest know he’s unwelcome with pranks until the tormented elephant responds in kind. But could there be some relationship between this creature and the boy who appears to her as a delightful playmate in her dreams? This story unfolds in small panels inset in larger double-page spreads of intense colours, filled mostly with the dense woodland that surrounds the country house. The characters are strongly defined by their movements and expressions in lovely sequences that show us how they feel, leaving us to puzzle out just how their relationships work. What does it all mean? In an interview, Blexbolex explains his book like this:

“… The story is about missed opportunities. It’s about the assumptions we make that aren’t always right. The girl likes to control and enjoy her space and her time, and decides these can’t be shared. She isn’t mean, she just doesn’t understand that this time and space exist for others as well. She chooses to ignore it. She makes a mistake and will eventually regret it – the mistake is revealed, true faces are shown. So, it’s the story of an experience.”

128 pp. hardcover

22.3 x 16.1 x 1.7 cm

Published March 2018 by Gecko Press