GISELLE

Gastaut transforms the classic ballet into a visual feast, creating a book that dances as gracefully as its tragic protagonist.

Giselle, a peasant girl, falls for a nobleman disguised as a villager, only to discover that he’s engaged to another. Her heartbreak leads to madness and death, but the story continues as she joins the supernatural Wilis—vengeful spirits of betrayed women who compel men to dance to their doom. When her former lover faces this fate, Giselle’s forgiveness saves him from the ghostly ballet. Newcomers will be mesmerized by both the timeless themes and Gastaut’s innovative presentation. Her retelling, translated from French, is faithful to the source material, but her innovative paper engineering makes this version distinctive. Her technical mastery transforms storytelling into something as much about movement as narrative—curtains billow across the page in gossamer transparency, flowers appear to sway and bloom, and delicate clouds drift through the spirit world as intricate paper cuts create exquisite details that draw readers into Giselle’s world. The palette shifts from warm village scenes to cool, ghostly blues as the story progresses from romance to betrayal to supernatural redemption. Each page turn reveals new visual surprises through clever use of die-cuts and overlapping translucent pages. The physical act of turning pages becomes part of the dance itself, with readers uncovering hidden elements and watching scenes transform before their eyes. Characters have paper-white skin.

A stunning, timeless marriage of story and craft.