I’m not sure what it is, but there is something about the
graphic novel format that allows for such an honest baring of one’s (literary)
soul. Graphic memoirs like Smile
by Raina Telgemeier, The Dumbest Idea Ever! by Jimmy Gownley and I
Remember Beirut by Zeina Abirached
have become more and more popular, and something like author Fanny Britt and
illustrator Isabelle Arsenault’s Jane, the fox & me, which not
strictly autobiographical, has to come from some place of truth.
Hélène, a young student with body and self-esteem issues,
navigates the now treacherous landscape of school, with the help of Jane
Eyre, which she is reading for the first time. Girls who used to be friends now write
hurtful things about Hélène on the bathroom walls and no one rises to her
defense. On an end-of-school camp trip, Hélène
gets grouped with the “Outcasts”, a Latin girl who does not yet speak French
and a girl whose only peculiarity seems to be a preoccupation with brushing her
hair. A chance encounter with a wild fox
and finally reaching the end of Jane Eyre help give Hélène confidence,
enough to recognize a new friend when one arrives.
Hélène’s story could easily stand in for any number of
children, of all genders, ethnicities, nationalities and orientation. Having self-doubt is not just a trait of the
picked-on, but all adolescents (and adults, for that matter) of all kinds,
everywhere, amen. This is a story that
transcends culture. At the same time,
however, Jane, the fox & me is littered with cultural references,
like pins on a digital map. Fashion is
often up for discussion, including the passing trend of old-fashioned crinoline
dresses and nautical-themed bathing suits.
The inclusion of the character of Lucia Muniz, a recent transfer who
only speaks Spanish, is interesting in that she is labeled an outcast (by the
narrator, no less) merely for her language barrier, which is later breached by
a new friend with a little bit of Spanish in her back pocket. The addition of this new friend, Géraldine,
removes the last names from the other girls’ descriptions, changing them from
outcasts to fellow friendlies.
Originally published in French, in Montreal, Canada in 2012,
Jane, the fox & me was translated by Christelle Morelli and Susan
Ouriou and published in English in 2013.
It appeared on the United States Board on Books for Young People’s (USBBY) list of
Outstanding International Books in 2014.
In 2013, it was named by the New York Times Book Review as one of the
Best Illustrated Children’s Books. The
book received at least three starred reviews, and overwhelmingly favorable reviews
across the board. Francisca Goldsmith of
Booklist called it “An elegant and accessible approach to an
important topic” and stated that “Britt's well-constructed narrative is
achieved sensitively through Arsenault's impressionistic artwork” (Oct. 15th,
2013). Karen Coats from The Bulletin of
the Center for Children’s Books highlighted Arsenault’s artwork:
“Helene's emotional
tangle is given poignant expression through Arsenault's pitch-perfect
mixed-media art; thin pencil-lined figures picked out against smudgy neutral
grays and muted sepia tones highlight both the sharp-edged sources and limned
echoes of Helene's everyday sadness, while the depictions of her imagined
scenes from Jane Eyre are cleaner and more colorful, bringing in reds
and greens, and even on occasion exploding into luminous watercolor landscapes.
The contrast is striking and sets up the almost mystical tone of the encounter
with the fox, who stands out in the red previously reserved for Helene's
imaginary connection with Jane.” (Nov. 2013)
Jane, the fox & me is a wonderful book to give to
fans of Jane Eyre, but also to readers who have not yet experienced the
classic. Britt’s narrative does give
away details of Jane’s story, but the pleasure Hélène takes in reading it could
easily inspire others to take up the tale.
Britt even mirrors Jane Eyre’s beginning with her opening line, “There
was no possibility of hiding anywhere today.”
Readers inspired by Arsenault’s artwork could explore her
previous works, including the picture books Migrant, written by Maxine
Trotter and Spork and Virginia, Wolf, written by Kyo Maclear.
The exploratory nature of Hélène’s narrative would offer a
good segue into graphic memoirs, such as those listed above (especially Smile,
which tackles some of the same feelings of self-doubt), but also such graphics
as Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi, Little
White Duck: A Childhood in China by Na Liu
and Andrés Vera Martínez and The Color Trilogy by Kim Dong Hwa, all of
which touch on issues of identity and adolescence in a way that is tied into
the characters’/memoirists’ cultural background.
Britt, Fanny. Jane, the fox & me. Illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault. Translated by Christelle Morelli and
Susan Ouriou. Toronto: Groundwood Books,
2013. ISBN: 9781554983605
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