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Graylight
A promise made decades ago could suddenly be fulfilled, endangering the life of a girl, trying her friendships and confusing her suitors. A semi-conscious love triangle ensues in twilit northern forests. Obsession, overprotection and the hunger for everything to be in it's right place - rules of the game, set to a backdrop of arctic summer.
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 3, 2010
The field of comics, also sometimes known as graphic novels, is dominated by male creators and readers. However, there's been increasing push in the last few decades by women to enter the field and make their mark. Though comics drawn by women are gaining popularity, most are classified as "indie," distributed by small publishers that may not be able to advertise or place volumes in prominent bookstores. Naomi Nowak's most recent graphic novel, Graylight, is designated indie, though it deserves to be appreciated by a wider audience.
Sasha is a German photographer on assignment somewhere in northern Europe, where the sun stays up all night in summer. She is a mysterious person, a foreigner. She attracts the attention of a journalist, and he invites her to join him on his quest to interview a famous recluse. The woman takes a disliking to both of them and refuses to grant him an interview. But Sasha leaves with her own prize—a book stolen from the house.
The woman's son follows her home to demand its return, and attraction sparks. But the reclusive old woman is no ordinary woman. She is a witch, with a grudge against women like Sasha, who play with men. When the witch's son takes an interest in Sasha, his mother takes action to destroy her. The witch's son is not Prince Charming, but he does save Sasha, changing his relationship with his mother. He asserts his independence, but in the end Sasha, true to form, leaves town to find some other hearts to break.
The plot summary is intriguing, yet its execution is not entirely clear. I found myself re-reading several times, trying to spot clues I may have missed. Plot is not Nowak's primary concern here—impressions of character and mood supersede coherency of plot.
Nowak is an artist who studied painting and illustration. She brings those skills to her comics, creating page after page of exquisite visuals. The colors are watercolor shades, ranging from pastel to flamingo and lime. The inking is both intricate and vague; symbolic or decorative flowers and crystals are detailed while faces and unimportant objects are only partially defined. Every knot in a sweater is drawn to give its precise texture but the shoes disappear into the background. Nowak focuses attention on what she wants the reader to notice. Pages where there's almost too much detail are deliberately overwhelming.
The style reminds me of the Japanese manga Paradise Kiss. Graylight is exquisitely rendered, and worth looking through for the art alone. Nowak's website contains examples from the book, a more compelling argument to pick it up than I could ever make.
Comics and graphic novels are not as easy to create and produce as some may think. Nowak has made something beautiful, if imperfect in its storytelling. I look forward to seeing her skills progress.
Review by Richenda Gould
Sasha is a German photographer on assignment somewhere in northern Europe, where the sun stays up all night in summer. She is a mysterious person, a foreigner. She attracts the attention of a journalist, and he invites her to join him on his quest to interview a famous recluse. The woman takes a disliking to both of them and refuses to grant him an interview. But Sasha leaves with her own prize—a book stolen from the house.
The woman's son follows her home to demand its return, and attraction sparks. But the reclusive old woman is no ordinary woman. She is a witch, with a grudge against women like Sasha, who play with men. When the witch's son takes an interest in Sasha, his mother takes action to destroy her. The witch's son is not Prince Charming, but he does save Sasha, changing his relationship with his mother. He asserts his independence, but in the end Sasha, true to form, leaves town to find some other hearts to break.
The plot summary is intriguing, yet its execution is not entirely clear. I found myself re-reading several times, trying to spot clues I may have missed. Plot is not Nowak's primary concern here—impressions of character and mood supersede coherency of plot.
Nowak is an artist who studied painting and illustration. She brings those skills to her comics, creating page after page of exquisite visuals. The colors are watercolor shades, ranging from pastel to flamingo and lime. The inking is both intricate and vague; symbolic or decorative flowers and crystals are detailed while faces and unimportant objects are only partially defined. Every knot in a sweater is drawn to give its precise texture but the shoes disappear into the background. Nowak focuses attention on what she wants the reader to notice. Pages where there's almost too much detail are deliberately overwhelming.
The style reminds me of the Japanese manga Paradise Kiss. Graylight is exquisitely rendered, and worth looking through for the art alone. Nowak's website contains examples from the book, a more compelling argument to pick it up than I could ever make.
Comics and graphic novels are not as easy to create and produce as some may think. Nowak has made something beautiful, if imperfect in its storytelling. I look forward to seeing her skills progress.
Review by Richenda Gould
July 17, 2021
This book had been on my "want to buy/want to read" list for a very long time, and this past pandemic year felt like a good time to buy it.
I had a hard time following events/discerning characters from one another, and while I understood most of the story, I didn't really Get It. The ending also felt very abrupt, and this book wasn't enough to hook me into even looking to see if there was more to the story.
Unfortunately, this was a miss for me.
I had a hard time following events/discerning characters from one another, and while I understood most of the story, I didn't really Get It. The ending also felt very abrupt, and this book wasn't enough to hook me into even looking to see if there was more to the story.
Unfortunately, this was a miss for me.
April 3, 2018
Magical realism, love triangle, plot's too vague, characters lack any defining traits, and no clear theme ever develops. Forget it.
October 1, 2019
Over-styled and too atmospheric but I'm sure this is perfect for the young female into romance fables type of reader.
August 28, 2021
i was so drawn by the art which is why i grabbed this book to read, but was disappointed. there was no plot whatsoever and everything is just a mess. the art is soooo beautiful tho. the only reason why i would pick up this book again is just to look at it lol
December 10, 2012
So Naomi is one of my favorite artists now living. (Met her once, very nice person) I just love how she makes pastels and collage look like watercolor. That being said, as a story teller I find her lacking. The story is so blah here I just want to write my own story to the art. Very quick to read and worth a look because of the art, though not a style for all.
August 26, 2012
This book was really confusing. Extra star for the lovely art. I really wanted to like this book, because I loved House of Clay (also weird plot but easier to follow). This one was all over the place, not linear - which could work but this time Nowak didn't pull it off.
July 22, 2010
A murky mess, both artistically and plotwise. Not worth your time.
March 27, 2011
Every panel is a gorgeous painting. The story was a bit dreary but it didn't really matter because I could stare at these tiny works of art for days.
April 19, 2011
Not as good as I'd hoped. The art was beautiful, completely fantastic. But the story was too confusing. One more place where great art gets in the way of narrative. :(
June 4, 2014
I don't understand what happened. Lovely art, if somewhat hard to follow the characters.
March 4, 2014
Horrible story..confusing to grasp unless one reads the synopsis. weird yet flowy art. Just wasn't digging it. I closed the book confused as hell.
November 2, 2010
Dreamy but confusing.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews