CASSI AND THE HOUSE OF MEMORIES

The twilight years of a life well lived inspire new appreciation in this visually and emotionally striking graphic novel.

Red-haired, pigtailed Cassi shares everything with Grandpa Charlie, but sometimes his brain is a little foggy. He forgets details, fails to recognize his only grandchild, and wanders away without warning. Grandma explains his condition using an inventive metaphor of cascading dominoes. In his lucid moments, Grandpa shares his love of music, but one day, Cassi follows him through the trees in the backyard into a vast, surreal, mazelike building containing his memories. There she meets a young Charlie and discovers his rich musical history. Stuart portrays memories as an endless gallery of framed, hanging pictures; Cassi enters these portals into Grandpa’s past. The spacious, labyrinthine chambers of the mind play visual second fiddle to vivid scenes of light-skinned, brown-haired Charlie’s life among artists and performers. Cassi interacts with and affects each memory before it deteriorates, rewriting history or accepting an inevitable defeat. The brilliant, richly colored art and subtle complexities of how Cassi and readers come to know Grandpa elevate the story, such as when advice that an older Grandpa offers Cassi makes sense only when considered within the full context of his life and formative childhood experiences. The wondrous elements of fabulism and the affection between grandfather and granddaughter combine to form something greater than the sum of their parts.

A dazzling, heartfelt journey through fading memories.