Who Owns the Clouds?

by Mario Brassard, Gérard DuBois (Illustrator)

Even though Mila is no longer a child, she is overcome by memories — memories of a childhood halfway between reality and dreaming, and not knowing which is which.
In her dreams, Mila and her family leave their bombed village to stand in line for weeks on end, suitcases in hand, hoping to move on to better lives. But the memories of her uncle’s disappearance, and the approach of looming clouds, keep blurring the lines between past and present, real and unreal. How can Mila move forward? Perhaps if the clouds can remind her of where she’s from, they can also show her where to go . . .

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Young Adult, War, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

100 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2021

Reviews

[s.penkevich [hiatus-will return-miss you all] · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘I tried to keep watch over what was left of the gentleness in the world…’

The horrors of war never stop just because fighting ends. Who Owns the Clouds, a harrowing yet beautiful graphic novel from Mario Brassard, illustrated by Gérard DuBois and translated here into English from the original French by Yvette Ghione, tells the story of Mila, a woman still haunted by childhood memories of war. Told through her dreams of an endless line of people fleeing the fires and devastation of war, the story has a sparse surrealistic quality that opens up into profundity. ‘Even if I wanted to tell you everything, I’m not sure what good it would do,’ Mila says at the scope of traumas that unfolded, but adds ‘That one person went through this pain is enough, I think.’ This is a haunting reminder of the suffering war brings on all those involved, especially the innocent children who can’t quite grasp the enormity of its monstrosity and, told through beautiful artwork with only a minimal seasoning of color, a story that will dwell deep in your heart.


The art in this is simply gorgeous, managing to convey the devastation so effectively with its images and mood. I love the art style, which looks a lot like printmaking, and I especially love the inclusion of so many cats. The artwork is mostly in black and shades of gray, though an occasional splash of color adds an emotional punctuation into the work.


The loss of innocence is captured so heartbreakingly well in this little book, and the lingering terrors that send tremors through Mila even into adulthood are approached delicately yet powerfully. The sparseness of the prose helps, teasing out a darkness lurking just beyond Mila’s understanding. Nothing is directly addressed, yet the reader can deduce the tragedies in the unspoken, making this all the more haunting. A brief moment of artistic resistance by her uncle, which ends violently, makes for a chilling centerpiece of the story that metaphors the balance of childlike innocence with the darkness of war.


This is a brief but lasting look at war and the shadows that chase survivors no matter where they go. I enjoyed centering the tale on ideas of clouds, with white cloud signifying a sort of happiness and peace and dark clouds belonging to the death-bringers. This is an affecting little work of artistic beauty and a plea to remember that engaging in war harms far more than enemy soldiers and politicians, with the worst trauma falling upon the innocent young like Mila. This would make for an excellent addition to any school library and would be effective for classroom use.

4.5/5

‘Maybe memories are like clouds. Some, lighter, float high above; others are darker, weighing heavily on our shoulders for a long time, until the day we’re finally ready to let them fly away.’

[Marquise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short graphic novel will be published in English as Who Owns the Clouds?, a direct translation of its title in the original French, in January of 2023. And you should either keep an eye on the release date or pre-order it.

It's beautiful, heartwrenching, dreamlike, and profound in its simplicity. In an unnamed location in Europe during WWII, Germany is carrying out its rounding up of Jews for deportation to extermination centres, and we see the process of waiting to be deported from the point of view of a young girl in the queue at the station. At first, you wonder if the girl is awake or dreaming, and what is going on. Is she waiting for the cattle cars that'll take her to the gas chambers? Is she already there and just waiting outside the "showers" to be gassed and cremated? Or is she dreaming of all this and she'll wake up to realise it all has been a horrific nightmare? You will have to draw your own conclusions.

The text is so very sparse, merely a line or two per page, but for all its barebones simplicity, Brassard delivers the punch perfectly. I haven't seen so much conveyed across with so little! I can see it all without being told, the train station, the concentration camp, the crematorium... The girl doesn't know, but you as reader do know, and you'll be horrified at realising what you've just been told. The horror is in realising the things left unspoken. The girl may be an innocent with not much knowledge, but you aren't; you know.

I was prepared to be stabbed in the heart as the story, which is short, approached its finale, so I was rather surprised and a bit taken aback by that ending. It's not a bad finale, but it does leave the mystery as to whether the girl was awake or dreaming up in the air, and you are left with questions as to how exactly that ending was possible for the girl. Nonetheless, I liked her optimism, her touching way of counting the clouds and assigning them "owners" based on colour and shape. It's sad but shows her spirit as well.

Oh, and although it's not meant for children specifically, I believe it would be an excellent resource for teaching them about the Holocaust through a story whose metaphors they would definitely grasp.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterpiece.

A little creepy but mostly sad and heartbreaking.

The artwork is phenomenal. The story depicts war and suffering through the eyes of a young lonely girl.

I will remember this book forever.

Thank you, Penguin Random House Canada, for the advance reading copy.

[Lizzie S · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful, haunting graphic novel about the effect of war on a child. Definitely recommended!

Thanks so much to Mario Brassard and Penguin Random House Canada for this ARC through NetGalley. Who Owns the Clouds is out as of January 2023!

[library ghost (farheen) · Rating 4 out of 5]

english title: who owns the clouds?

this short graphic novel is about war, destruction and industrialisation as seen by the eyes of a small girl.

it is sad, bit spooky and thought-provoking and the art does a solid work of nailing the theme down.

thank you to netgalley and publisher for eARC

[madame Gabrielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

un album magnifique qui est parfait comme tout pour travailler l’interprétation puisque rien n’est nommé. bien contente de l’avoir enfin eu entre les mains!

[Bibliomaniaque · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magnifique album où le texte et les images portent à interprétation

[Sophie lit ça · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lien vers la critique complète : http://sophielit.ca/critique.php?id=2625

C’est un vrai coup de coeur que cet album atypique, au look un peu vieillot avec ses illustrations en noir et blanc et sa typo particulière. C’est un livre mystérieux aussi, parce que rien n’est nommé clairement. Au fil des mots de Mario Brassard et grâce aux illustrations sensibles, ponctuées de couleurs (magnifiques et toujours à point), de Gérard Dubois, on voit se dessiner la guerre. Jamais nommée, jamais située non plus.

[Marie-Michèle Bernier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wouah. Ok. Des albums sur la guerre, il y a des milliers. Difficile d'être bouleversée quand on en a lu autant. Et pourtant!!! Celui-ci est si touchant, si unique, je suis un peu bouche-bée. La qualité du texte, très épuré, délicat, précis, m'a touchée très fort. Certaines phrases m'ont même coupé le souffle (dont la dernière!). Le rapport texte/image est parfait: des images sombres et un texte lumineux, avec une touche d'espoir. Un très grand coup de coeur.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short one is heartbreaking and beautiful. The illustrations are adorable and give the storyline an almost *eerie* element. I loved Maus so when I saw this was compared to it I knew I needed to read it and this did not disappoint.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[cycads and ferns · Rating 4 out of 5]

“So, despite how tired I was, I fought off sleep. I tried to keep watch over what was left of gentleness in the world….”

[Geetika Adhikary · Rating 5 out of 5]

In "Who Owns the Clouds" by Mario Brassard, set during World War II in Europe, a young girl's perspective unfolds as she awaits deportation. The story, told with simple yet powerful words, paints vivid pictures of train stations and the haunting uncertainties of war.

Brassard's narrative keeps readers on the edge, wondering if the girl is awake or dreaming. The sparse yet impactful prose captures the unspoken horrors of the time. The ending adds a touch of mystery, leaving us to ponder the girl's experience, while her act of counting clouds shines with resilience.

Translated by Yvette Ghione and illustrated by Gérard DuBois, the graphic novel delves into the aftermath of war. Mila's dreams, touched with minimal but strong colors, echo the enduring pain. It's a poignant reminder that, even if we can't grasp the full extent of the trauma, the suffering of one person is more than enough—a powerful message, especially for innocent children facing the horrors of war.

[Claudi · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only thing that kept my attention in this was the visuals. I don't want to say it's a bad book, it's just really slow so maybe it's more someone else's cup of tea. The author is a poet so if that's your jam this might be up your alley. Very short read, and my rating is based on the art mostly not really the content itself.

[Nazım · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ziyadesiyle bulanık bir savaş travması anlatısı. Bu bulanıklık bir kusur olarak değil, "kötüler" yerine travmaya ve anlatıya odaklanılması için bilinçli olarak kullanılmış.

Anlatısı, karakterin iç sesi, buna eşlik eden çizimler makul ve olması gerektiği gibi.

Palyaço alegorisi biraz fazla klişe olsa da sanırım avrupalı romantikliği bi nebze de olsa bu klişeyi gerektiriyor :)

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Je suis sans mots, tellement que c’était comme une poème qui était compréhensible surtout (seulement?) en combinaison avec les illustrations incroyables. Themes difficiles abordés avec tendresse. Gros coup de cœur 🩷

[Maude Fleurent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un roman graphique où les nuages peuvent prendre différentes formes.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

The gorgeous cover art and illustrations drew me in. The actual storyline is vague and it took me a while to figure out the subject matter and what was going on. But I do realize this is partly because it is about war from the view of a child.
I myself enjoy lyrical/poetic writing so ultimately it did work for me.
I appreciated the bittersweet and hopeful tone.
The most unique and successful part of this story to me was finding out in the end how it is an adult narrator looking back on her childhood memories of war, and all the ways it still affects her life as an adult.
Including a very poignant detail involving her missing uncle and how she still looks for him. The artist conveyed this using the color red for details.
It is important to show how war affects someone’s whole life. The rest of their life.
The illustrations were still a bit more simple and less detailed than I would prefer, adding to the vague, dreamy style. Also not very colorful which I do understand conveys and contrasts the environment of the war.
I would love to find more art by the artist, overall I love their vintage / retro style.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I stumbled across this book at the library in the teen graphic novel section. The skillful use of red in an otherwise bleak monochromatic book is impactful. The lead character’s uncle creates the book’s most vivid, memorable moment. Otherwise, I had a bit of trouble placing this book. I suppose I wanted a bit more context for the war-torn setting.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

Who Owns the Clouds is a short graphic novel which follows a young girl in a war-torn city as her family must leave their home and stand in line for deportation.

This was a quick read, but the kind of quick read that really makes you think. It settles in your bones and clings there, for as simple as it was, by the end the reader is also looking out their own window, wondering who does own the clouds. I loved the art especially, as each frame deepened the story's conflicting themes of dark and light. Though I wish we did ultimately know more about this character -- about her family, her friends, her town, their whole experience in the war beyond standing in the line -- there was something just absolutely, heartbreakingly beautiful about the way she processed these experiences looking out the window at the sky.

[Jaclyn Hillis]

“Not a day goes by that I don’t wonder who the clouds belong to.”

This was a powerful and poetic fictional memoir with themes of grief and healing, and a hybrid of dreams and memory. The author blends nine-year-old Mila’s lived experiences with her adult recollections as she looks back on a period in her childhood that was spent fleeing a war-torn country. There are very few words, but the story has so much to say through art. It was truly beautiful.

———

CW: war trauma, PTSD

[Erin Cataldi · Rating 4 out of 5]

An illustrated novel depicting the violence and horror through a child's eyes. There isn't much text but the illustrations are haunting and beautiful. A child has trouble determining what was a dream and what was real. Her experience in the war was so awful that it can hardly be separated from nightmares. The illustrations make this book a masterpiece. Definitely a profound book for all ages.

[lapetitelyanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Je viens de le lire en environ 30 minutes parce que je l'ai trouvé dans un local à mon école et honnêtement, l'histoire est tellement touchante🥺 Je le recommande vraiment, les images sont tellement bien faites et tellement poignantes🥲

[rita r. · Rating 5 out of 5]

short graphic novel with a heart-wrenching story and STUNNING artwork about grief, trauma, and loss in a warlike setting. totally worth the read

thank you penguin random house canada and netgalley for sending me a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review :)

[Reading_seas0n · Rating 3 out of 5]

English verison.
Thank you to Penguin random house for granting me early access to this work.
Art is beautiful and simplistic

[Frédérique | Adapt&Cie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intéressant! À travailler peut-être avec mes élèves!

[Jessica Di Salvio · Rating 3 out of 5]

C’était correct, j’ai pas accroché aux illustrations. Aussi, bien que les nuages sont portés par l’interprétation de l’histoire, le thème de la guerre, de la fuite, de la mort sont plus présent que les nuages en soi, je m’attendais pas à ça.

[Alexa Patsalis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deeply moving, and I shed some tears at the end. Relatable for folks for who have experienced any sort of trauma.

[⋆｡˚⭒ Ari ⭒˚｡⋆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

a graphic novel i saw while browsing the teen manga in the library. beautiful artwork and story - i would love to own it too!

[Safa Furkan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Çizim sitilini ve renklerini sevmesem de hikaye için gerekli bir tercih. Hikayesi ise çok etkileyici.

[Jenna · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustrations for this book are excellent. The sepia tones and the selective use of colour really enhance the story-telling. Unfortunately, it’s the story-telling that brings this book down for me. Don’t get me wrong, the writing is very good in the poetic way it flows. Even though the content crawls at a slow pace, this pacing makes sense as it enhances the feeling of this never-ending line the main character is in, the not knowing what will happen next. But the issue is, not much happens next.

The ambiguity allows the book to be relatable to a wider audience - it doesn’t identify what war is happening or a location. This highlights just how many wars have happened in the world and are still happening, and how the effects and consequences are still impacting so many people’s lives in similar ways and the lasting trauma it causes. However, without specificity, there isn’t much to focus on. One part of the book says “Even if I wanted to tell you everything, I’m not sure what good it would do. That one person went through this pain is enough, I think.” Once again, this is a beautifully written couple of lines but the main character ends up telling us next to nothing, just one somewhat vague story about her uncle.

I understand the illustrations and elusive writing are intentional and are supposed to let the reader think deeper, really engage with the book as a whole. Personally, I feel it makes the book feel empty, like a major plot point was missing. I found the book’s dust jacket description was the more engaging narrative than the book itself.