It’s been a while since I read a graphic novel and I’m glad to be back with Clara & the Devil. This striking graphic novel is a story about ambition and our hidden desires. Keep reading this book review of Clara & the Devil for my full thoughts.
Summary
Clara has the rest of her life figured out. She’ll graduate college with the support of her best friend, Jonah; marry her adoring boyfriend; take a full-time job at her local library; and settle down in her small seaside hometown. But when an unusual tourist―tall, dark, and infernal―comes to town, Clara’s careful plans quickly start to unravel.
And even while the stranger, who openly calls himself the devil, strikes up a situationship with Jonah, he continues to tempt Clara with reckless talk of power, ambition, and lust. Over the course of one sultry summer, tensions between Clara, Jonah, and the devil mount to an intolerable degree, and Clara is forced to confront the desires she’s kept secret her whole life, even from herself.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Blake and Chmura are a dream time. Their collaborations are some of my favorite editions. So when I saw this graphic novel, I knew I had to read it. I can never resist a good Faustian bargain. There’s something alluring about ambition, a wish or desire we would give up everything for. It feels universal in the struggling and straining ambition while also being something intriguing. The art here is obviously gorgeous. I loved the balance of space, negative space, and panels where it takes up the entire space. While blue isn’t really my thing, the color scheme of Clara & the Devil is striking. There’s immaculate blending and shading and I could live within these pages.
(Disclaimer: Some of the links below are affiliate links. For more information you can look at the Policy page. If you’re uncomfortable with that, know you can look up the book on any of the sites below to avoid the link)
Storywise, I loved how Clara & the Devil explores this line between want and need. And how one experience can put everything in a new light. There’s forbidden knowledge and fruit, but there’s also something or someone awakening something in ourselves we didn’t know before. When doubts wriggle in and happiness and contentment don’t look so good anymore. This is a solid start, I wish we had a bit more character development especially as I’ve read so many other of Blake’s work so far. But I am intrigued for the future. Find Clara & the Devil on Goodreads, Storygraph, Bookshop. org, & Blackwells.