S.J. Harris

This is just odd. It starts as the tale of Eustace, who is an ill 8 year old confined to his bed, his disease is never explained, he has a cough and vomits a lot. It is from his POV so the adult world is a bit obscure to him. He has a brother, who is older and joins the army (the story is set just pre WW2) and we see his mother and father rarely, his gaggle of great aunts and great uncles feature prominently. Some of the story is told in flashback (not always clear tbh) and it takes a decidedly weird turn half way through when it turns out that his uncle, on the run from the law, has been hiding under his bed, with his secretary. Eustace, only 8, then gets drawn into the very adult world of running a bawdy house as the story becomes less and less coherent and the less said about the end the better. Paedophilia is hinted at, madness ensues, it’s all very strange and I’m not sure it works. S.J. Harris can certainly draw, his pencilled style is very nice. But he’s less adept at plotting a story.

Overall – Didn’t really work for me, gets very confusing in the second half… (meer)