Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The protagonist in this gutting story of undocumented immigration is an anthropomorphic dog with an oversized body and a sad, round face, named "the Strange." This is a universe inhabited by animals whose species are assigned based on character personality traits and authorial whim. The Strange's attempt to find work and escape deportation from an unnamed European city is chronicled by a series of narrators, among them a taxi driver, a police officer, and several members of an aid network. The observer-driven form underscores the disenfranchising nature of life on society's margins. Even the fish in the aquarium at the Strange's apartment get more of a voice than he does. He is perceived as dangerous when in fact he is the one in peril from law enforcement and exploitative landlords and employers. Ruillier's crosshatched pencil drawings and large blocks of single colors create a lonely world in which the backdrop is constantly changing. The narrative echoes the surrealism and disorientation of contemporary prose portrayals such as Moshin Hamid's Exit West. Ruillier's portrayal of a literal underdog and an increasingly ruthless state forces readers to acknowledge harsh treatment of immigrants. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review by Library Journal Review
An unnamed character sells all of his belongings in order to flee one unidentified country for another, seeking a fresh start and a chance at a better life for his family. There, a rotating cast of characters, including a crow, his neighbors, a group of activists, and others, narrate his adventures as he attempts to take new opportunities and dodges a brutal police force operating under strict immigrant expulsion quotas. Based on interviews with undocumented workers, activists, police officers, and others familiar with the plight of immigrants and refugees, French author Ruillier's (Dad, Mom, Anita and I) first book to be translated into English manages to dramatize and humanize a story most readers will identify with from headlines and politician talking points. Most powerful, the unique narrative structure offers a chorus of impressions from a diverse cast, fascinatingly implicating every member of society for the role they play in the system that alternately embraces or rejects the displaced. VERDICT As moving as it is timely and provocative.-Tom Batten, Grafton, VA © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
