Who Owns the Clouds?

A fictional adult protagonist looks back on a period in her childhood spent fleeing a war-torn country in this speculative, ambient graphic novel, which thoughtfully unravels themes of grief, healing, and memory. Using spare text that occasionally addresses the reader directly (“You have no idea how often we all dreamed of fresh white sheets”), French author Brassard blends nine-year-old Mila’s lived experiences with her adult recollections. The protagonist recalls being “so tired in the days before we left,” and settling down for long periods of sleep that manifested visions of standing in a seemingly endless, unspecified queue that trudges toward an arms factory guarded by furious soldiers. Upon waking, Mila and her family flee their village, which is being ravaged by bombs, to wait in a queue similar to that of her dreams. Linocut-style b&w illustrations by DuBois include accents of blue and red. The art’s resemblance to both old photographs and classic children’s book illustrations—Mila’s cat stares longingly out a balcony window while autumnal colored leaves blow gracefully by—evoke the haziness of childhood memories and how past remembrances often straddle a delicate line between dreams and waking. Ages 12–up. (Jan.)