Hope Larson offers a quietly personal, effectively touching yet always challenging story about a young woman who's haunted not only by unusual dreams but a recent past that's saddening. Her storytelling style -- both in terms of the script and art -- is simple and soft, but it's thoroughly effective at establishing a subtle but palpable mood that draws the reader in. Larson's story is a vague one; one can never be entirely certain of what the characters are feeling. However, there's always an inviting familiarity to those feelings that makes it easy for the reader to connect with the heroine of the story. Gray Horses is yet another graphic-novel triumph from the people at Oni Press and the creators with which they work.
Noemie is a French exchange student who's come to America, enrolling in an art history class at a college in Onion City. Yes, she's arrived in the United States so she can study, but she's also running away from something, from someone. A recent breakup has left her reeling, but some light comes into her life in the form of a new friend, Anna. Noemie is also intrigued by the mysterious young man who keeps taking her picture from afar. When Noemie dreams, she dreams of a kindly horse who carries a girl away on an important mission, and away from the destructive influence of her fiery mother.
One could argue that Hope Larson's artistic style is crude, but one would be dead wrong. She employs simple shapes and lines to achieve subtle expressions and effective minimalist storytelling. She doesn't have a realistic style, no, but there's no denying the sense of realism she achieves. Her simple approach allows the reader to connect with her characters and settings; it makes them universal. The orange-and-black color motif is a bit unusual, especially given the book's title. There are no graytoness to be found in this book, but that just adds to the slightly surreal quality of the storytelling.
One of the things that struck me the most about Larson's visual approach to the book was how much it reminded me of Scott McCloud's work on Understanding Comics and Reinventing Comics. The similarities may not be readily apparent at first glance, but I'm referring to how the two artists connect ideas together. Obviously, the lettering font is similar (if not exactly the same), but the connections between the script and the characters and action in this book just struck me as being McCloud-esque.
Larson's choice to offer the French language dialogue alongside the English translations really allows this book to stand out as unique (though there's plenty of uniqueness to be found in Gray Horses). The repetition of the same ideas, albeit in different languages, gives the script a lyrical quality at times. The French bits also bring an exotic quality to the book that makes the protagonist seem a little more special (though the creator is careful not to let that exotic nature infringe on her innocence).
Ultimately, this is a story about someone hiding from the pain in her life. At first, it seems like Noemie is running from her problems, that she's taking an unhealthy approach to dealing with the tumult in her life. But instead, it feels more like her time in America serves as a protective cocoon, allowing her to heal before emerging a new woman. Though initially sad, there's something encouraging about the story, and not just in the ending. Despite the quiet nature of the book, Noemie is actually and adventurous, inquisitive and attractive character. Though she sees Anna as something of a free spirit, Noemie has a carefree and independent personality of her own. 9/10
