In Spain, Paco Roca is one of the more well-known cartoonists and graphic novelist. In fact, he has a solid following worldwide and many may be familiar with his first graphic novel “Wrinkles” which was made into an animated film or his second graphic novel, the WWII epic “Twists of Fate”.
And his third and most recent book “The House” will be released in English and Spanish by Fantagraphics on November 5th.
“The House” is no doubt a personal book for Paco Roca as it is dedicated to Roca’s deceased father and I am reviewing an uncorrected proof, so I’m not going go too far into details, nor will I spoil the storyline.
But I will say it is a book that will resonate with many people, as it deals with adult children dealing with the death of a parent and how one copes with it.
“The House” revolves around three siblings who return to the family’s vacation home a year after the death of their father.
The family intends to sell the house, so they are taking turns cleaning it up.
Jose is the youngest of the three, who is an artist married to Sylvia and struggles with why his father died. He saw his father as a fighter and he often wonders if his father approved of him being an artist. Meanwhile, his older sibling tend to resent him because he pursued his career overseas, while they had to be at home to witness their father getting older, getting sick and dying.
What will Jose find out when he starts cleaning out the house?
Meanwhile, his older brother Vicente is bitter. He pretty much took care of his father, while Jose was in Madrid and their sister Carla was busy. While his son Juan remembers life the good times with grandfather, Vicente has deep emotions of having to be the one who had to do everything and having to make difficult decisions.
Carla is married with two kids and remembers her time with her father, but is saddened that he was not there to be in the lives of his grandchildren. While her husband wouldn’t mind living at the house, Carla is more intent of selling it.
But what happens when these three siblings (and their families) come to visit their old vacation house?
I for one enjoyed this book because it’s a realistic storyline.
From siblings having to cope with the death of a loved one, to one having to make the hard decisions and a typical story of how one pulls the weight of getting things done, while the other siblings, not so much.
These emotions that these characters are feeling are genuine. Many people who read this probably can identify with one of these characters or know people in similar circumstances.
It’s a part of life and Paco Roca’s “The House” does a magnificent job of portraying it.
Overall, “The House” is a book I definitely recommend.
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
The chilling story of the abduction of two teenagers, their escape, and the dark secrets that, years later, bring them back to the scene of the crime. | Learn more
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
From the Publisher
Paco Roca (Francisco Martínez Roca) is a graphic artist and a cartoonist from Valencia, Spain. He got his start in comics drawing the unpretentious action series Road Cartoons for legendary comics magazine El Víbora. His graphic novel Wrinkles (2016) won every Spanish comics award and has been adapted into an animated feature film, with a script by Roca himself. His other works include Twists of Fate (2018), The House (2019), The Winter of the Cartoonist (2020), and The Treasure of the Black Swan (2022).
Reviews with images
A candid look at a family working through its grief
I received "the House" specifically to write a review. That said, I try to be honest and open in all my reviews.(Please see the enclosed pictures.)This is an emotionally gripping graphic novel about a real topic that almost everyone can relate to.When a father dies and leaves his house that was also the adult children's home growing up, cleaning the place up comes with a lot of memories.The book is very well done. The cartoons are of the highest quality and are consistent. The plot, an emotional series of sub-stories, are engaging and interesting.I especially liked that the men and women were displayed as real men and real women with the flaws, gifts, and desires of real people. None were saints, and none were devils.Husbands and wives flirted and nattered, and all the things that real people do.My one nit with the book was that some of the stories appeared to be "inside stories," things that the family could relate to, but as a reader, I had no idea what was going on or why the stories were important. It may be that I did not know enough about the author or his previous work. Still, you should know that this is not strictly a standalone book.All in all, this is a lovely book on many levels from casual fun to a chance to share and talk through tough issues before the worst happens.
Top reviews from other countries
enrique
Excellent emotive and very well scripted
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 13, 2022
