MY BROTHER

Loss lingers in the air.

After having a strange dream, a young girl asks her somber father to go out with her on the fjord. Though he’s reluctant, they sail onto the water and set out their fishing lines. To their shock, they catch an elongated, emaciated boy, who appears to be the girl’s recently deceased brother. After taking him back home and tending to him, the father and the young narrator get to celebrate one more night with their son and brother. The next morning, the boy walks back out to the sea; the surviving members of the family are now able to continue living their lives, though they’ll always have their memories. Originally published in Norway, this is a meditative musing on grief and the different journeys people take along the way. Torseter’s spare yet detailed illustrations effectively match the mood of the family. Earlier scenes featuring heavy crosshatching and a washed-out palette give way to spreads full of color that fill the page, showing that life eventually goes on, even after loss. Djupvik’s straightforward text captures the emotions felt while one is deep in mourning. All characters have skin the white of the page.

A sophisticated look at the process of grief.