This was a very cute and very important graphic novel and I loves the story but the art style was just not for me. I am sure many of you will really like this but sadly it just wasn't for me.

The Adoption by Zidou and illustrated by Arno Monin is a comic book that is surprisingly touching and incredibly beautiful. I am relatively new to this genre, and I must admit that I did not expect a lot of depth going into the story, but I was pleasantly surprised at the way the narrative unfolded, and in the most unexpected of ways.

Gabriel is a retired French butcher on the cusp of his seventy-fifth birthday. When his son and his wife decide to adopt a child from Peru following a catastrophic earthquake, Gabriel is less than thrilled with the prospect of becoming an instant grandfather to a four year old girl with whom he does not even share a language. But as the two find themselves spending longer periods of time together, the young girl eventually works her way into a heart that has been hardened by a life of disappointment.

While I did find some of the sexual references to be a bit jarring in the context of the story, the end result is beautiful, heartfelt, and unexpected.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Diamond Book Distributors and Magnetic Press for this ARC.

A middle-aged French couple decide to adopt a 4-year-old Peruvian girl, Qinaya, after she loses her parents in an earthquake disaster that hits her village. The book focuses on grandfather Gabriel, who at first isn't sure if his son isn't too old to have a small child, and who doesn't recognise himself in the granddad role.

At this point you expect the book to be a heartwarming exploration of the growing relationship between Gabriel and Qinaya. And you'd be right, up to about half of the book (this book contains the first two volumes of the series as it appeared originally), when there are a couple of devestating twists, that bend the book much more toward drama. And it is brilliant. It is heartbreaking, and still funny, and it works. I don't say "aww" out loud while reading books. I kept doing it reading this book.

The art is just as brilliant. Very European, very beautiful and detailed. Qinaya's cuteness jumps off the page, and when things become complicated, the illustrations have a brittle softness to them.

Good lord, I hope there are more volumes to come.

"They had me in the first half, not gonna lie!"
The art style is great and consistent, the colors are perfectly chosen, and the formatting is well done. All the hallmarks of a good quality production. Then we turn to the story-
And I have not been emotionally sucker-punched like that in a good while. It felt great in that way only a good story with an unexpected turn leaves you. The main character is the grumpy old man character trope we all know so very well, and we follow his journey through the trials of generational gaps with humor, and the pitfalls of life with some stunned silence.
A great read for teens and adults.