The Down River People by Adam Smith & Matt Fox
There is a point in The Down River People that left me stunned and wondering what the hell just happened. Much of the early parts of The Down River People I feel are Smith and Fox articulating the feelings of pain and isolation that people grieving go through. The staggeringly difficulty of going on with life after the death of someone you love is something that Myers labours through.
The things we inherit from family is another theme that runs through the novel. Untangible treasures such as the memories of being together and more difficulty concrete things like financial difficulties. Myer and his father, Darnell, both seem to suffer from similar bouts of mental illness to the extent that Darnell shares his way of coping; by standing in the river and waiting for the feelings to pass.
The script is heartfelt and captures both a sense of place and authenticity around the people that live there. Oddly, it reminded me of Where the Crawdad Sings. The Down River People works as well as it does because of its setting. The Down River People is a stranger book than Delia Owen’s book. Still, they both evoked the same feelings of empathy and sorrow in me. I was expecting it the continue to be a slice of life story that follows Myers as he copes with his grief which it sort of does.
Without giving spoilers, The Down River people starts as one story and finishes as a different one, one that is stranger and more profound. As mentioned before, there are points in the story that I found shocking, devastating, and confusing in the best possible way. As Southern Gothic goes, this is one of the best examples of the genre in graphic novel form.
Myers strained relationship with his estranged mother and his stepfamily forms the bedrock for the latter half of the novel. It is here that Smith takes the most narrative risks, ones that pay off in unexpected ways.
The art is bewitching. The style of it wrong-foots you as much as the script does. Hues of depressing blues and browns colour every page. Despite it being set in the south, there is little brightness or light. There is a down to earth quality to it, a world-weariness in the character and place designs that creates a sense of realism. Mathew Fox does a superb job of composing his images, and there is a fluid quality to the way he lays out the panels. There are some astoundingly powerful illustrations in the book, especially later on. Mike Fiorentino lettering deserves mention; he does an excellent job.
I suffered a bereavement last year; this story hit a soft spot in me. The start of it left me feeling unsettled, but it is a sensitive exploration of grief and the need for all of us to renew ourselves, however hard that may be. 2021 is turning out to be a fantastic year for graphic novels; this is one of the best. The Down River People is an absorbing story that will leave you reflecting on long after you have put it down. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
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