Tales from the Farm

I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting from this before I opened it, but it certainly went above and beyond.  I guess because the only thing I knew about it was that it was about a boy on a farm and his imagination, I was expecting something lighthearted and not so deep.  But, surprise!  First of all, it surprised me that a story that's in a child's point of view was done in black and white; but then I read it and realized that color would have been very out of place in light of the (super depressing) plot and characters.   The use of black and white, plus the rough, sketch-like style of the art really enhanced the theme of the hardships of farm life, and I think it also served to make the emotions and expressions of the characters seem more raw, especially in the scenes when Lester lashes out at Uncle Ken.  

Lester himself is a surprising character.  One of the questions that immediately struck me, within just a page or two, was what his age was.  It seemed like some of his actions - like wearing the costume and the extent to which he was immersed in his imagination - were the actions of a younger boy (9 or 10), but his emotional behavior spoke more to me of adolescence.  This made more sense, of course, after finding out that his mother had died just the year before.  It was heartbreaking to find out the reason that he wears the outfit, too, and why he likes comics so much.

I liked the way that the author placed the reader in the setting, too.  The French names, the hockey references, even the subtlety of placing the cross on the wall in all the dinner scenes, were all effective methods.  

I'd like to read the other two volumes eventually, I'm really interested to find out what happens with Les.