The Crows

by Anders Fager, Peter Bergting (Illustrator)

What lurks in the corners of the house originates in the corners of the mind.


When Kim inherits an old family house in rural Sweden, there are notes posted everywhere. On the walls, the doors, even the ceiling. Reminders. And drawings. Of the monsters that still haunt this house and the land on which it sits. But the monsters aren’t just outside; they’re in Kim’s head, in the traumatic memories of an upbringing as different, other, alone. Dive into this stunning graphic novel full of darkness, reconciliation, and exploration of the self. From acclaimed creators Anders Fager and Peter Bergting.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Horror, Comics, Young Adult, Mystery, Fiction, Swedish Literature

104 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 28, 2020

Reviews

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the death of most of her relatives, Kim inherits an old family house in the middle of nowhere. Along with the house, she inherits all of the dark memories and secrets scratched into its walls as well. Haunted by monsters both real and imaginary, Kim faces the demons of the past in search of reconciliation and self-acceptance.

This was a unique southern gothic graphic novel that feels like a haunting picture book with twisted puzzles scattered all over the pages with notes and engravings written in the background. It's written entirely from the inner dialogue of the protagonist which further adds to the sense of solving a mystery skewed by the memories of someone dealing with family trauma.

The lack of a traditional story and character interactions made it difficult for me to feel emotionally invested in the plot, but I appreciated the uniqueness of it overall.

[trestitia ⵊⵊⵊ deamorski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Florence and the Machine has a song that says "My heart is like a haunted house / There's things in there that scratch about".
This book reminded me this lyrics.

"What lurks in the corners of the house originates in the corners of the mind."
This idea was already forgotten by me.
I read on digital so when I got to last- I mean back cover, I was happy to be on the (almost) same page with creators.
Also good to get there at the last pages cuz' with all its simplicity, the story pulls you into itself, makes you curious, makes you feel nervous,,,

I loved the style. It's effortless or plain, at least in the matter of technique but every brush stroke is important when it comes to this style. Brush strokes what's makes the piece aesthetic and creates its own atmosphere.



The little cigarette detail is what I like to see in these kind of works (or any). Crows (and ravens) may be common gothic / horror art circles (gosh deviantart was the reason why I was so active in art once) but they still keep their effects on me.

Wish I could find a way to let them out
xoxoxo
iko

[Viggo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Otroligt stämningsfull, välskriven och tänkvärd! Det finns så mycket att läsa mellan raderna, så mycket innebörd bakom orden som döljer sig precis under ytan. Samtidigt finns en väldigt tydlig och obehaglig stämning över det hela, och det är där bilderna kommer in. Det här är varken en serieroman eller en ”vanlig” bok med illustrationer, för illustrationerna är en avgörande del av berättandet och ger ytterligare en nivå till det hela. Illustrationerna är fantastiska och skapar en helt annan sorts närvaro till själva texten som annars skulle kunna kännas lite för reflekterande. Men just eftersom bilderna och texten kompletterar varandra så bra skapar det en fantastisk helhet. Särskilt en gång vände jag sida till en bild som gav mig en ”nämen fy fan vad obehagligt”-reaktion.
Min enda kritik är att boken hade kunnat vara lite längre och spenderat ännu lite mer tid åt att utforska sina teman. Men det är fortfarande en otroligt fin, viktig och läsvärd berättelse.

[Eule Luftschloss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kim inherits a house in rural Sweden and goes to visit. The fridge has been cleaned, but the whole house is full of post-its, reminders, and notes about the crows.

I liked this one a lot. It’s more a picture book for adults than a typical comic. First person narrator, and we mainly have the internal dialogue, and the notes left by previous inhabitants of the house. Noises from the woods. Mist. Gloomy, grey weather.

Fittingly, the illustrations are done in water colours and are so beautiful in an eery november kind of way.

This is more about making peache than about investigating mysteries, so there is no real solution. While this story is closed in itself, there is an option of coming back and further exploring.

Creepy, melancholic, [insert crow noises here].
Would recommend. Would read more by the people who did this.

The arc was provided by the publisher.

[Emil Nilsson-Mäki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Så impad över detta sätt att skriva för målgruppen. Det är inte tillrättalagt eller strömlinjeformat. Det är utmanande och snårigt. Text och bild kompletterar varandra på ett ovanligt sätt - utan bilden blir texten tunnare och utan texten blir bilden platt.

[Catalina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Crow had an intrinsic way of intertwining trauma with nature as an interpretation of coping. I felt the isolation in the story as another expression of feeling lost within your thoughts. Beautiful usage of symbolism.

[Andria Potter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't read this one on Kindle because it's a graphic novel and the print is tiny. I'll check it out from the library if it has it! I do love the art though so three stars so far.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick lunchtime read; not a traditional graphic novel in the sense but the art definitely elevated the entire piece. It was cool to try and decode the vague things said/shown into some semblance of a storyline. Cool art, love me a good spooky crow

[Karenina (Nina Ruthström) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lite bra och lite oklar.

[Jennopenny]

Tyckte den här var fin, alltså bilderna är väldigt bra och detaljerad men överlag tycker jag att själva berättelsen är sådär.

[Rickard Dahlgren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Smått kuslig med snygga bilder och detaljrika omgivningar. En mysig rysare.

[Litteraturtur Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Texten tillsammans med illustrationerna är ren poesi. Mörk, djup och rörande.

[Rin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a little confusing but it was ok

[Sam Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very unique, in both it’s setting, but in its style as well. It was almost like a picture book instead of a graphic novel. The feel of it was very atmospheric, like it felt creepy as I read it. While the book takes place in Sweden, it's a relatable story: not feeling wanted because of who/what you are/aren’t and how that trauma manifests itself– in this case through the symbols of the crows.

[Linn J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kim återvänder till Teg, en liten skitort ute i ingenstans. Farföräldrarna och pappan är döda och Kims mamma verkar inte riktigt vilja ha något med henne att göra. Kim är en utomstående unge, mobbad och utfryst från allt. Hon vet inte riktigt vem hon är.

Hennes mamma brydde sig inte riktigt när hon gifte sig med hennes pappa. Han hade kommit och lovat henne guld och gröna skogar, samt hon ville komma bort från sitt asiatiska hemland och hon ogillade tydligen det mesta därefter. Kims pappa, nja han verkade rätt så svag mentalt och försökte väl.

Nu är Kim i Teg, försöker förstå vad som skett och hur det skett, vad är det för mörker som omringar Teg och Kim? Varför finns det kråkor och män som ser ut som pesten doktorer?

En otroligt fängslande bok med alla fantastiska illustrationer! Bilderbok som är kuslig men också hjärtskärande. Arvsliga trauman och bemötandet, och hur det kan gå tillväga. Hade dock lite svårt att se denna innebörd utan att läsa om och söka upp extern information. Men boken var väldigt fängslande, hade nog bara inte tolkat allt utan extra sökningar

[Ophilia Adler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lite diffus kanske men samtidigt har jag alltid älskat Anders Fager och hans böcker. Sedan tycker jag Peter Bergting gör fantastiska illustrationer.

Jag förstår vad boken handlar om och förstår konceptet men samtidigt skulle det kanske inte vara en grafisk novell jag satt i handen på någon som inte läser så mycket.

Den är väldigt stämningsfull och passade perfekt nu under höstlovet! Speciellt då jag läste den medan regnet smattrade mot fönstret.

[Fny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Väldigt atmosfärisk men lite diffust story.
Älskade bilderna ...
Handlar om bearbetning i olika former och om att hitta sig själv i tillvaron.

[Madeleine Lindell Modin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fängslande och fick mig att börja fundera.
Påminde mig om "A monster calls" av Patrik Ness.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the art but the story is choppy and hard to follow at some times

[Emma]

English title: The Crows

Opinion? Turbio - good for a quick read and some nightmares

[GiGi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending was anti-climactic, but most of the story was hella unsettling. Which is great for such a short story, so few words and artworks.

[Heather Duvall · Rating 2 out of 5]

i really didn’t like this :/

[Sofie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stämningen!!!

[Jenny, havens skräck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantastiska illustrationer! Dock är storyn ganska fragmentarisk och lite oklar. Rätt mycket lämnas åt läsaren att uttyda. Kanske för mycket?

[Miguel Vian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cool visually, with some haunting pictures; and well coupled with the writing. Nice to read authors from Sweden, with some very typical (darkly twisted) Swedish scenery.

[Amelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A hauntingly beautiful graphic novel about grief, one's past, and the birds that live on your property. The text in this graphic novel tells the story just as much as the illustrations do--and the illustrations are something you'll want to spend time with, carefully pouring over the strokes and notes left from a generation past.

Not my absolute favorite, but the level of artistry is something to behold.

[Martin Bensch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bergtings bilder är av yttersta klass. Men berättelsen griper inte tag.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is basically a series of beautiful, melancholic, vaguely creepy paintings with a bit of text pasted on top. This isn't a bad thing; it was just a different style than the more typical comic book style. The story is strange and feels rather sad but nothing really happens and there is no true resolution of anything. I'm not sure I understand the point but I didn't hate it.

[Fiktiviteter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Läs min recension på bloggen: https://www.fiktiviteter.se/2020/11/1...

[Adam Fisher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Less of a graphic novel and more "illustrated prose", The Crows is a very weird and unique tale about someone who inherits a weird house and property out in the woods that was owned and lived in by their grandma. The entire scene, set with both the art and the words, which are sometimes expressed artistically, is dreary and haunting. We readers are left on our own to determine whether or not the crow-like monsters are in the characters head or are really out in the world.
Didn't love this one, but I can see its appeal, especially in the tone it sets.
Recommended at your own risk. If you enjoy poetry or abstract art, you'll probably like it.