2005 book 113/little star

linda ferri's enchantments
this is a thin little slip of a book, a series of dreamy vignettes about a young girl's life. there's nothing earth-shattering here, or even anything that interesting, just hints at missed potential for a larger, more potent story. the narrator is an italian girl living in france in the 60s with a father who seems volatile, but that's not explored in depth, nor are any of the cultural issues. i suppose it's meant to be the child's perspective, not really understanding the deeper meanings of the things going on around her, but unfortunately this gives the book an unfinished quality. it's a pleasant read, don't get me wrong, i just wish there had been more here. certainly i've read equally small books that contained great and powerful stories.

and on that note, i also read andi watson's little star this afternoon--it hasn't come out as a collection yet, but i just got around to picking up the four individual issues. and watson really is good at packing a lot of impact into smaller stories--here, a guy struggles with the complexities of fatherhood and trying to figure out how it fits into his life. i really like watson's drawing style, how it sort of looks watercolored even though it's all gray, and it fits his family/relationship-oriented stories quite nicely.