Essex County
by Jeff Lemire
Lowdown: Loved volume 1, liked volumes 2 and 3. Set in a fictional version of Lemire’s hometown of Essex County, Ontario, Canada, Essex County tells three interwoven stories about loss and loneliness. Volume 1, Tales from the Farm is simply brilliant, and should be read in literature classes. Volumes 2 and 3, Ghost Stories and The Country Nurse, while not as deep, are just as poignant. Beautiful and wonderful human interest dramas.
From the back covers:
Essex County Volume 1: Tales from the Farm is the tale of Lester, a recently orphaned 10-year-old living on his Uncle’s farm in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. As their relationship grows increasingly strained, Lester befriends the small town’s hulking gas station owner, Jimmy Lebeuf, a damaged former hockey star.
Essex County Volume 2: Ghost Stories follows the lives and relationship of brothers Lou and Vince… over the course of nearly seven decades. Eldest brother Lou, now a deaf and lonely man, lives out his final days on his farm, full of guilt and regret for the decisions he made that tore his family apart. From their childhood on the farm to Toronto in the 1950s (where he and Vince played professional hockey), Lou revisits his life, a silent observer haunting his own memories.
Essex County Volume 3: The Country Nurse follows a day in the life of Anne Quenneville, the peculiar farming community’s traveling nurse. As Anne checks in on her favorite patients, the story finally reveals how all three volumes stitch together a portrait of how loss and regret push and pull at the fabric of family in small town life.
These are haunting stories. Lots of ghosts and memories and shadows and loneliness. The artwork, a little bit creepy, fits the mood and somberness perfectly.
By far my favorite story was volume 1, Tales from the Farm. There was a lot of ambiguity and possible interpretations about Lester’s experience. I related to him the most out of all the characters. I guess there must be a scared 10-year-old inside me somewhere.
By the end of the third volume, though, all the questions and ambiguities get cleared up. This sucked some of the magic out for me. While I didn’t enjoy volumes 2 and 3 as much, these are all very solid, very well written stories. Some of the best human interest dramas I’ve ever read.
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Essex County Volume 1: Tales from the Farm: Buy on Amazon (with kickback
Essex County Volume 2: Ghost Stories: Buy on Amazon (with kickback
Essex County Volume 3: The Country Nurse: Buy on Amazon (with kickback
The Complete Essex County: Buy on Amazon (with kickback
