Water Memory: Because the ocean is redundantly frightening and super scary

If I were given the choice, between drowning in the ocean and decompressing in the vacuum of space, I would select space. Both are essentially the same, the removal of breathable material. They are different in how they are experienced and the details of timing or physical effects, but in space, my corpse would not be nibbled at by creatures. I have never been able to pinpoint why this creeps me out so much as worms and land creatures do not bother me.

The ocean contains monsters we have never even seen, monsters that hold grudges.
(Can you tell I grew up in a landlocked area? Is it that obvious?)

Water Memory (Mathieu Reynes, Valerie Vernay)
Translated by Jeremy Melloul
108 pages
Lion Forge
ISBN-10: 1941302432
ISBN-13: 978-1941302439

Marion and her mother Caroline move to a small coastal town, reviving the inherited house of Marion's deceased grandmother. The house sits in a beautiful location, set atop a hill overlooking the quaint town and the ocean.

While happy to be with her mother, Marion is disjointed. Supporting her mother, she left her friends behind and moves. With only her mother available to speak to, she is surrounded by strangers. Her cast aside father left to his new trophy wife. Marion never met her grandmother, only knowing her mother has a resemblance because the townsfolk all take a second glance and comment about her appearance. Her grandfather is dead, drowned at sea like so many other townsfolk in this fishing community.

Marion feels very alone.

Marion explores her new home. She goes swimming in the cold sea, hiking on the cliff side and country, and wanders the town. Carved on rocks overlooking the bay, Marion begins to identify strange carvings of ominous looking faces. Each carving includes cryptic initials and a calendar year. When she finds the same artwork on the town fountain, she begins to question the intent of these markers.

The community feels warm and welcoming, with no malice or ill will in the air. The exception being some strange vibes coming off the mysterious lighthouse keeper and carvings found strewn about which are vaguely reminiscent of Cthulu (insert ominous music to match). Through reading, I would take Marion to be about nine years old. She is inquisitive and resourceful.

Marion doesn't focus solely on occult-ish looking inscriptions. She has a tie to the past in her grand parents that she is also investigating. She is anxious for a connection with these well-loved individuals, filling a gap where no relationship has existed. While all she needs is her mom, she needs to explore more than just the landscape of her new home. Marion is trying to redefine herself in this new world where she resides both physically and emotionally.

This graphic novel was outstanding. I would say it is the best of the year, but anyone who reads Europe comics would blow smoke in my face and laugh at the delay my late arrival to the party.

Originally released under the Europe comics title 'la Mémoire l’eau' this graphic novel, translated from French, is both heartfelt and engaging. While the original French edition was released in 2014, it was not until this month that the English translation through Lion Forge became available.

The story by Reynes and the graphics by Vernay are beautifully crafted and you can tell by the content that this was a labor of love to bring to life. Each cell is precise in presentation and has a specific purpose. This wastes no time and leaves the reader engages in all ways.

At the end of the graphic novel, there is an author/artist section with some notations dictating their love of the work. They were careful to leave the mystery of the ocean intact and focus more on the entity of water than on any entity inside the water. I think this is wise as the ocean is a frightening beast in its own right and the unknown can serve an artist well.

The 2017 translation crafted by Jeremy Melloul is excellent, leaving no iffy descriptions or phrasing which feels incomplete. I trust that it stays true to the original text as it appeared flawless from the English perspective.

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Disclosure: This graphic novel was provided to me for review purposes by the publisher. While I thank them for the access to such a fine product, I must also criticize them for failing to do so via telepathy. I expect that all organizations on the planet are secretly working towards teleportation and telepathy. If this is not the case, I will one day, using someone else's great achievements, teleport the publisher's offices and telepathically lambast them for failing to work on these marvelous breakthrough actions alongside the rest of us. Between now and then, I shall continue to review their work honestly as this is the only way my feelings can be dictated.

After her parents split, Marion moved with her mom to her mom's hometown, the sight is great, everything is calm and they have a private part of the beach.
Marion went on exploring the place, that's where she noticed the presence of strange carved stones with initials and a date.
Why did her granny move away from such a wonderful place after her gan'pa died? and What secrets is that lighthouse hiding?
It was a great read, but I felt like more developement was needed, it ended very fast for me!

Thanks Netgalley for the copy!

The story is about a young girl named Marion. She has moved with her mother to live in her grandparents' home. Marion discovers a local legend and looks into it. What is this legend? She finds herself involved in discovering the truth of the legend. The legend includes a curse. What is the curse?

This is an intriguing story. There are secrets and mysteries, but also discoveries. It is a tale that I found intriguing. There are some twists and turns that made the story even more enjoyable. It is unusual in that the author didn't give it a happy ending. It's an excellent story.

This was a cute story, but it left me wanting. The art style isn't to my taste, but it was well done, and I enjoyed the notes at the end.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel about a young girl and her mother who move to their old family home on a remote outcrop overlooking a lonely lighthouse. Whilst out exploring the girl chances on a number of mysterious rock sculptures with various markings on them. There is a nearby town that has a cast of characters that help the mystery of the rocks and loner lighthouse keeper along. It was a bit predictable in how it played out but the art was great and reminded me of french cartoons from the eighties. A neatly wrapped up adventure.

This graphic novel is worth reading and a 5 star is definitely perfect to rate it. Love the illustrations, the plot of the story, the mystery, the tragedy, and especially the revelation in the end. Sacrificing is one of the greatest proof of love and this is what it wants to imparts to the readers.

A woman and her daughter move into the clifftop house where she lived as a small child until her father died. There are legendary monsters involved, and a curse.
“Jellyfish tart?” After reading that, I had to go get some fresh air before I could continue reading.
I didn’t feel the suspense the authors were obviously going for here, but the historical aspects were fun. The mom/daughter bond is fantastic; they have a great relationship. I was feeling an Irish vibe, but that may be the influence of Song of the Sea, since there’s a lighthouse nearby. A sign is in French, but everything screams New England or Canada. In the end it turned out the sign was the clue.
The kid’s funny. After nearly drowning in a cave, lying on the beach as she recovers, she tells the scavenging seagulls, “Don’t even think about it!” Her explorations keep getting her into danger, as well as her belief in her “Total ninja stealth!”
The artwork has a dreamy romantic vibe, plenty of blue watercolor to symbolize the sea, except during the storms.
About a dozen pages at the end about the making of the book, how it originated, with some beautiful photos.

Despite the title, it seems at first the memories here are much more earthy, for Caroline has brought her young daughter to the place she herself left as a toddler. The move has been caused by a break-up, and it's just the two of them in the family unit, making a fresh start (with the help of a kindly old neighbour) in an old house on a promontory of the Brittany coast. Young Marion soon discovers the clifftops are peppered with strange standing stones, with even stranger figures, initials and dates carved on to them. She also soon works out there is a way to get across a causeway at low tide to the local lighthouse, manned as it is by a gruff, surly old man. But while Caroline's beginning anew starts with a nice local job, things are slowly getting more creepy. Large sea creatures are beaching themselves, the stones' imagery is found in even stranger places - and the lighthousekeeper seems to hold darker secrets. What memory could possibly be in this storm-drenched land?

I loved this graphic novel. The cover artwork is by far as cartoonish as the artwork gets, for one - it is unshowy on the whole, but more than satisfactory, getting character and certainly location down to a T. But what sold the book for me was the perfectly measured speed with which things were shown to us. This is a book where the less you know about it the better, but please be assured the above summary was given due care and attention. And I am aware people may turn to this book, as I for one did, and not have any inkling as to just how fantastical and creepy it can get, and would only dislike it if they weren't forewarned.

That's not to say it ever gets overly fantastical, and the creepy is limited to daylight hours, as opposed to the nightmarish darkness of other books. The plot does hang on a certain key factor that's a little on the unsurprising side, but it's what the creators did with it that counts. They have a wonderful story, perfectly rooted in a strong sense of place, and all the characters are worth your time and empathy. Again, the book may go a little too far for those who really dislike genre reads, but for me it was wonderful to see this realism devoted to such a story, and when you get to certain exceedingly dramatic images late on, to me they felt perfectly plausible, and fully justified their place alongside the mundane, modern coastal village scenes.

The book we get in English is the full two-part work (French serious 'comics' still like to be forced out in two parts once each gets to about the fifty page mark), and a very easy-on-the-eye sketch gallery, complete with some reference photography. Mention is made of a potential sequel, although this is five years old now in its original French, and seems not to have been given a follow-on. But you know what? I seriously doubt it ever needed it. This is just a completely pleasant novel, and it has to be heartily recommended. I did have to take off a smidgen of a star for the overly-eager way with which Marion narrates to herself, as a true classic graphic would show us what we needed to know without her talking to herself so much. But for visual deftness, lightness of touch in conveying the mystery, and for sheer intrigue in such an immediately recognisable and real location, this book can hardly be faulted for leaving memories of its own.

This is a great graphic novel, reminiscent of Kibuishi's Amulet series and the works of Hayao Miyazaki. The illustrations are beautiful, the characters and the plot are well-developed, and the story pulls you in and doesn't let go.

My only complaint is that the ending felt abrupt. I was expecting this to be a solo graphic novel with a Disney-esque ending that happily, or mostly happily, resolved the legend/curse. Instead, it felt like more of a cliff hanger. If a sequel is in the works (which the author implies is possible), then the ending makes more sense. In retrospect, it does have a degree of completeness. Despite the abrupt ending, this graphic novel is a must-read and probably one you or your readers will re-read, too!

My aim for 2018 is to read more graphic novels, but why not start right now. When I saw this one, I thought the cover and title were intriguing. 

I loved the illustrations. The illustrator did a good job making the sea seem like a living creature, sometimes calm and peaceful, sometimes full of menace. I liked Marion and her mother and the way the story was presented and set up. And I did like the plot. However, by the time I truly got into the story it was over and compared to the rest the pages the end felt a tad rushed. I remember thinking, "That's it?" 

So basically I enjoyed it, but I feel it just needed a little more at the end. I am also not sure whether the cover suits the story that well.

*I received this book thanks to Netgalley and the publisher in exchange of honest reivew*

My vote for this book is: 4 and a half.
The story begins in a day like so many. Marion is about to change his home and go to live in the old family home that belonged to his grandparents. The house is perfect: the sea view, a private beach, the far lighthouse, rocky and mysterious caves. Everything seems to be going to the best when so many little things do not go in their place and they collapse one over the other. Marion continues to see on a variety of rocks (even on the city fountain) a strange engraving and believes it is a local divinity. Things are getting thicker on the island and little Marion continues to investigate. What happens to our protagonist? What will it live? What are the mysteries surrounding the small seaside town?
The cover really great. In all versions it is beautiful.
The setting is a small village on the sea (the author reveals that the inspiration came from really existing places) and the modern era even if it is based on a mystery born in 1904.
The characters are not so many but I want to pay particular attention to the young protagonist.
Marion is a really clever and perspicacious little girl. It is especially curious and this is why he will worry about his mother. Wants to know the mysteries of the island and learn more about her grandparents, since she has never met them.
The story was well written though I would have preferred more deepening on the side of the mystery. Marion goes on to discover things around the island and finds little clues that are rebuilt by hand. From the practical point of view, however, there is no explanation that is too concrete and it is almost in balance, almost there is a sequel that I hope will be there.
The graphics, on the other hand, have been really eye-catching and graceful, very nice, have come into contact with Marion since the very first moment and I felt her friend and accomplice to the discovery of the mysteries surrounding the island where grandparents lived.
The book was really cute, I'm happy to have made this choice. I love Graphic Novels and comics so I have to say I was basically satisfied with the reading.
I advise? Sure because he really deserves much.

This is a graphic novel for younger readers although it does contain some quite creepy pictures so not for readers who are too young ! The artwork is really nice, I very much liked the images and colours used .
It has a gripping story line to go along with the pictures, it is quite slow at the start but as Marion explores more of her new surroundings it soon becomes dark and creepy . The story is focused on an ancient sea town legend and there are many scary looking rock carvings around the area .

Author and illustrator work very well together to make this a great book .
Marion, her mother and the other characters are all well written and you feel like you know them as you read more of the story ..

I rate this wonderful graphic novel a 4 out of 5 and I recommend it to any fans of Manga, graphic novels and mystery, I think you will really enjoy it .

The cover does this book absolutely no justice! I would never have picked this book up if it weren't available here on netgalley first, despite the fact that I kept hearing about it everywhere.
Water Memory is actually a fantastic tale, with a delightful twist that I sure didn't see coming (though afterwards I wanted to smack myself in the forehead for not seeing it!). The one downside (other than the aforementioned lackluster cover), is that there is a bit of a cliffhanger after said plot twist, and I'm not sure there is a second volume planned. The story certainly stands on its own, but its almost frustrating when a book leaves things open-ended without a clear plan of continuation.

This was fun!
The story is about a young girl, Marion, who moves into a little fisher village with her mom after their parents have split up and her grandmother has died. Why her grandmother left the village all those years ago despite having had such a gorgeous place, is part of the mystery.
At first, it's all about the two settling in, but Marion is curious and smart and soon goes exploring, discovering strange carvings on stones all around the place. Moreover, there is a hermit, who somehow seems to be tied into the whole mystery as well.
There are a few dangerous scenes that really are thrilling. Moreover, there were one or two instances when I questioned Marion's character, but then I remembered how young she was and her sense for adventure was so infectuous that I quickly forgot about it!

The artwork might not be anything groundbreakingly special but like I said to a friend not long ago: I, personally, don't think that everything new we see or read needs to be the next invention of the wheel. As long as the art fits the tone of the story, I like it - and the interaction between art and story here is perfect. The colours are vibrant or oppressive, depending on the scene; the scenery is gorgeous and often showing little details (which makes looking at the single panels for some longer time rewarding); the few humoristic encounters are portrayed very well.

Thus, I'm very glad for Netgalley's recommendation and the chance to read this early. A fun adventure/mystery story for young and old(er)!

A young girl, Marion, tries to solve a mystery, in a small village on the Britany coast. The mystery is around her grandfather, and what has been happening in this town with its storms of a century.

The pictures are gorgeous, makes you feel that you are almost there. The village people are very real, but the ending leaves something lacking, a little.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

The story begins with a relocation: Marion's mother inherited the family home in a fishermen's village, and decides to move there with her daughter.

Marion is a clever and curios girl, after exploring the village and the coast near home, she discovers strange incisions on the rocks. There is also the strange and grouch old fisherman living in the lighthouse on a small island reachable by foot only during low tide.

After some time, Marion find hints of old legends and connections with her family living in the village. The legend seems to get more and more real, and to menace the serenity of the village.

Water Memory is a nice book, but not an exceptional one, with foreseeable developments and unlikely behaviours in real life (Marion is free to explore - and to risk her life - in more than one occasion). The graphical part is well-developed, and helps in providing rhythm to the narration.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me the copy necessary to write this review.

I loved this so much! A girl moves to a house by the sea and starts investigating the history of the town, her own family history, and discovers there's something else...

This is a slow reveal and is done absolutely perfectly. Everything seems normal, until it's not. There's this air of menace underlying everything going on, and I had to keep reading to find out what is going on. That ending was amazing.

And I can definitely see the anime influences in the art and storytelling. I could see this playing out wonderfully as an animated movie, in fact, and would pay good money to see it adapted.

Rating: WORTHY!

This is from an advance review copy for which I thank the publisher.

From writer Mathieu Reynès and artist Valérie Vernay, this beautifully illustrated and well-written story of a family curse and how it affects a younger generation is a delight. It begins with a single mom, Caroline, and young daughter, Marion, arriving at a gorgeous clifftop home overlooking the Atlantic off the coast of Brittany in northern France. The home has not been lived in for years, but the two of them soon have it shipshape, and Maron is off exploring.

Marion is a little too adventurous for her own good, and almost drowns when an incoming tide takes her by surprise, but her restless spirit also takes her to the clifftops, where strange carvings exist, and to the lighthouse, just off the coast, which can be visited at low tide, but which is not a welcoming place at all. From her trips and questions she learns of local legends, one of which is very ominous indeed. Something vague and malign, something from the sea, hit the town with a severe storm in 1904, and now it looks like that storm is returning.

The story explores the gorgeous Brittany coast, sea legends, and a curious old lighthouse keeper who seems to be shunned by the entire village. Except for Marion who despite warnings from her mom, senses that this old man is the key to the mystery. Marion is a strong female character, well worth reading of.

Despite being static drawings on paper (or on my screen in this case!) the story is nonetheless creepy, insinuating itself into you like a crawling fog, chilling bones and driving you to follow Marion as she learns the truth about this curse that follows all descendants of this one family name, which must do penance for an ancient evil it perpetrated. The drawings are colorful, beautiful and as captivating as they are varied. I recommend this.

An interesting graphic novel about a legend coming to claim its final victim (or not??)...I liked the tale of the water monsters, and the rumors that swirl in a small town around events with no logical explanation. The graphics were wonderfully done, a nice, rough edge t the aspects that needed them. I also really liked how it went from color to black and white at certain key moments.

At first I thought Water Memory is depressing and dark, since the cover looks like that and how the story was depicted sounded like that too, but in reality it's quite different. In a good and bad way, of course. Marion moves into this small town with her mother and it's her mother's old hometown. There she finds an old and creepy lighthouse, the grumpy lighthouse keeper and secrets from the past and about her grandfather and the town legend. I really liked the stone carvings, but Reynès couldn't really blow life into the whole thing. The pace is wonderful and the panels serene and even sad, but the plot is all over the place and awesome things fall flat. Perhaps the comic would've needed more pages to convey what it wants to say. The mystery didn't grow to where it should've grown, which is a bummer, since it's the core of the comic. The characters are interesting and well written which made this better, and mostly the problem lies in how the story evolves.

The art is cute and melancholic even. The characters look sweet with round shapes and the simplicity works out so well. The colors are grayish, which adds to the sad feeling and overall this looks so wonderful. The view angles are great and Reynès moves the story well with the art and silent panels are a perfect add to the story. The atmosphere saves a lot. Water Memory is good, alright, but it could be better. All the elements are there, even if not used fully properly. More practice, I'd say.