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A review by woodlarks
Portugal by Cyril Pedrosa, Ruby
2.0
I really wanted to like this graphic novel. I am clearly in the minority with my 2 stars, with some many people giving it a positive rating. I wonder how much my experience can be chalked up to reading the translation versus just personal preference, or just picking it up at the wrong time. Regardless, here are my thoughts.
The good: The art is by itself is a 4 star experience. The graphic has been on my to-read list for a few years because of the beautiful cover. Sometimes graphic novels have an art style on the cover that is completely divorced from the actual illustrations, but this is not the case here. Pedrosa is clearly a master at his craft--the monochrome is expertly colored and the scenes are easy to read. The loose lines of the city landscapes are amazing, with the decision to render people transparently lending itself well to the chaos of the scene. Keeping the untranslated Portuguese in the background without Simon or the reader understanding transforms into a cacophony of written sounds. The fluid lines of the reoccurring sinking motif, and the cool tones in scenes of reflection were a really nice touch, especially when contrasted with the vibrancy of the festival and wedding, and finally the sunshine yellows depicting the return to Portugal. I really appreciated the coloring in the first arc especially ("According to Simon"), with the muted childhood retrospective (save for the careful pops of color), the struggling current relationship in sepia and grays, and the burst of color with first taste of Portugal before sinking back into the monotony. My favorite illustrations actually appeared in the epilogue, and it made me wish that more of the book was dedicated to those kinds of spreads. That being said, the opacity of the speech bubbles, especially when it came to the background chatter the reader was not supposed to understand, was a little overwhelming and detracted from the visuals. I enjoyed the subtilty of the reflection/inner monolog text, and I wish that the two styles were more aligned (at least in terms of font/size), because going between them was jarring. Tangentially related, the book itself is a rather large format (9x12"), which makes it great for appreciating the art but more difficult for reading.
The less good: If the art was 4 stars, the writing was 1-2 stars. In my opinion, the first section ("According to Simon") had the most cohesive writing, and did the best job at establish our main character, Simon. But I was expecting some growth or development as I went along, and I didn't really find any. In addition to being an unpleasant character who lashes out at his ex Claire (and caged pigeons), Simon is merely floating along in his life without agency. He has no connection, no passion, and the most redemption he experiences is deciding to stay in Portugal and continue drawing, but as a reader that didn't make me connect with his character. The water motif had so much potential to be a driving theme of growth, and it just wasn't used in that manner. In addition, the lack of exposition within the story meant that the reader is teleported to the next scene without much explanation, which makes for a confusing read to orient yourself in. Having more reflection on the motives, or establishing what comes next (and why) using the inner monolog text would have gone a long way. The story attempted to introduce family history and belonging into its plot, but it was never fully realized. Simon spends time with his workaholic father and his extended family, but it never feels like he connects with them, he is more of a passive observer. He doesn't learn anything new about himself, doesn't become a better partner, and instead falls deeper into vices (returning to smoking and getting drunk). Despite the entire last section being dedicated to Simon's grandfather ("According to Abel"), we also never get an understanding of who Simon's grandfather is or why he left for France, and I never got the impression that Simon was more connected to Portugal through his family. I guess a story doesn't need to have a satisfying ending, relatable characters, or even cohesion, but the end left me feeling unmoored and frankly frustrated that I was so ambivalent about the story despite having so much positive to say about the art.
The good: The art is by itself is a 4 star experience. The graphic has been on my to-read list for a few years because of the beautiful cover. Sometimes graphic novels have an art style on the cover that is completely divorced from the actual illustrations, but this is not the case here. Pedrosa is clearly a master at his craft--the monochrome is expertly colored and the scenes are easy to read. The loose lines of the city landscapes are amazing, with the decision to render people transparently lending itself well to the chaos of the scene. Keeping the untranslated Portuguese in the background without Simon or the reader understanding transforms into a cacophony of written sounds. The fluid lines of the reoccurring sinking motif, and the cool tones in scenes of reflection were a really nice touch, especially when contrasted with the vibrancy of the festival and wedding, and finally the sunshine yellows depicting the return to Portugal. I really appreciated the coloring in the first arc especially ("According to Simon"), with the muted childhood retrospective (save for the careful pops of color), the struggling current relationship in sepia and grays, and the burst of color with first taste of Portugal before sinking back into the monotony. My favorite illustrations actually appeared in the epilogue, and it made me wish that more of the book was dedicated to those kinds of spreads. That being said, the opacity of the speech bubbles, especially when it came to the background chatter the reader was not supposed to understand, was a little overwhelming and detracted from the visuals. I enjoyed the subtilty of the reflection/inner monolog text, and I wish that the two styles were more aligned (at least in terms of font/size), because going between them was jarring. Tangentially related, the book itself is a rather large format (9x12"), which makes it great for appreciating the art but more difficult for reading.
The less good: If the art was 4 stars, the writing was 1-2 stars. In my opinion, the first section ("According to Simon") had the most cohesive writing, and did the best job at establish our main character, Simon. But I was expecting some growth or development as I went along, and I didn't really find any. In addition to being an unpleasant character who lashes out at his ex Claire (and caged pigeons), Simon is merely floating along in his life without agency. He has no connection, no passion, and the most redemption he experiences is deciding to stay in Portugal and continue drawing, but as a reader that didn't make me connect with his character. The water motif had so much potential to be a driving theme of growth, and it just wasn't used in that manner. In addition, the lack of exposition within the story meant that the reader is teleported to the next scene without much explanation, which makes for a confusing read to orient yourself in. Having more reflection on the motives, or establishing what comes next (and why) using the inner monolog text would have gone a long way. The story attempted to introduce family history and belonging into its plot, but it was never fully realized. Simon spends time with his workaholic father and his extended family, but it never feels like he connects with them, he is more of a passive observer. He doesn't learn anything new about himself, doesn't become a better partner, and instead falls deeper into vices (returning to smoking and getting drunk). Despite the entire last section being dedicated to Simon's grandfather ("According to Abel"), we also never get an understanding of who Simon's grandfather is or why he left for France, and I never got the impression that Simon was more connected to Portugal through his family. I guess a story doesn't need to have a satisfying ending, relatable characters, or even cohesion, but the end left me feeling unmoored and frankly frustrated that I was so ambivalent about the story despite having so much positive to say about the art.