Essex County

Author: Jeff Lemire

Publisher: Top Shelf Productions

Genre/Themes/Demo: Graphic Novel, Fiction

Release Date: June 15th 2009

Page Count: 512

Format: Paperback Bind Up

ISBN: 9781603090384

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Synopsis

Where does a young boy turn when his whole world suddenly disappears? What turns two brothers from an unstoppable team into a pair of bitterly estranged loners? How does the simple-hearted care of one middle-aged nurse reveal the scars of an entire community, and can anything heal the wounds caused by a century of deception? Award-winning cartoonist Jeff Lemire pays tribute to his roots with Essex County, an award-winning trilogy of graphic novels set in an imaginary version of his hometown, the eccentric farming community of Essex County, Ontario, Canada. In Essex County, Lemire crafts an intimate study of one community through the years, and a tender meditation on family, memory, grief, secrets, and reconciliation. With the lush, expressive inking of a young artist at the height of his powers, Lemire draws us in and sets us free. This new edition collects the complete, critically-acclaimed trilogy (Tales from the Farm, Ghost Stories, and The Country Nurse) in one deluxe volume! Also included are over 40-pages of previously unpublished material, including two new stories.

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Quick Thoughts

Essex County was the first book that I decided to pick up as part of Read-EH-Thon, a read-a-thon in which you are tasked to read books by Canadian authors! I have had this book sitting on my shelf for way too long now and I’m so glad I was able to finally pick it up. So many people told me how amazing it was, including the man who sold it to me at Fan Expo Canada a couple years back!

It definitely lived up to the expectations! This story is told in three major parts, each featuring a different character from the town of Essex County, Ontario, Canada. This graphic novel was filled with so many Canadian things, but what stood out the most was the amount of hockey-related moments. It just felt so relatable for me coming from a family that LOVES hockey.

More than that though, the stories told within Essex County are heartbreaking and tragic, but beautifully told. What I loved the most was the way that these separate stories all eventually connected in the most unexpected ways.

This was a fantastic first read to pick up for Read-EH-Thon and I’m so glad I finally got to read it!

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About The Author

Jeff Lemire is an award-winning Canadian cartoonist, and the author of the Essex County Trilogy, Sweet Tooth and The Nobody. Lemire is known for a his moody, humanistic stories and sketchy, cinematic, black-and-white art.

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Thank you for reading!