It had been a while since I read a graphic novel, and I was really looking forward to reading a good one when I saw Michigan: On the Trail of a War Bride by Julien Frey on NetGalley. Thanks to Europe Comics and NetGalley for sending me the ARC!

The book recounts two stories at the same time beginning with that of Julien and Maud’s impending visit to the latter’s family home in the US to celebrate her great-aunt Odette’s birthday. Julien, who is French, still finds Americans slightly amusing and never loses an opportunity to have a little fun.

As they go around doing some last-minute shopping for the family, the panels segue into the other story in the book. It’s the beginning of the Second World War, and we see Odette, the war bride of the title, working in her family’s brasserie. This is where she meets John, her future husband, and we are shown how their relationship progresses through the next few years.

The book goes back and forth between the family reunion happening in honour of Odette’s 86^th birthday and her younger years with John. The cultural differences are what make up most of the book in both stories. While Odette struggles with life in the US, Julien is perpetually flustered or amused with American humour or forthrightness.

I loved Julien’s acerbic humour that laces all the conversations in the book, and the quirky melange of characters that make up Maud’s family. And Lucas Varela’s artwork is a treat for sore eyes. At about 154 pages, this is a very quick read, and a really cheerful and breezy one at that. But that is also the book’s failing in some sense. I wish Julien told us more about Odette and John, and their relationship. A little more about life in France contrasted with her life in the US. I wish I could have understood Odette a little more especially since she seemed to be a plucky personality with a mind of her own even in her 80s. It doesn’t take away the joyride this book is, though. So, just go along and have fun.

Verdict: Take a break for half an hour and have fun while at it

Rating: 3.5/5