THE HIDEAWAY

Thirteen-year-old Billy finds an unexpected refuge in this British import.

Sensitive Billy can’t handle witnessing his mother’s abusive relationship with her boyfriend, with whom they live. Doing his best to be unseen—something he has far too much practice in—Billy escapes in the night to All Souls’ graveyard, where he’d found a tiny concrete hut from World War II. When he’s discovered the next day by an old man who has come to clean up the cemetery in preparation for a mysterious event, they strike a deal—if Billy helps, the man will stay quiet for a couple of days, but then Billy must go home. Billy loves and misses his mother and hates to cause her suffering. His emotions are juxtaposed with the empathy he feels for the individuals each gravestone represents. The text switches from the old-fashioned serif typeface of Billy’s post-departure chapters to modern, sans serif for those following his mother. The frantic need to find her son breaks her out of abuse-imposed isolation, gaining her the support of neighbors and (in contrast to her previous call for help for herself) the police. Love, loneliness, and grief are portrayed in grayscale illustrations, many full-page spreads, that expertly use light and shadow to convey mood. The messaging around domestic violence is straightforward and plainspoken, while Billy’s emotional arc leans into the magical; another family storyline is wrapped up tidily. Characters default to White.

Atmospherically heartfelt and cathartic.