September 10, 2019

THE FATE OF FAUSTO

The Fate of Fausto by Oliver Jeffers is a cautionary tale that reminds readers of the fate that awaits selfish people.


Fausto believes he owns everything. One day he sets out to survey what he owns, and everything around him ends up succumbing to his will: flowers, sheep, trees, even mountains bow to him and acquiesce that he owns them. But when he sets out to claim the sea he learns a dark lesson in biting off more than he can chew.


Jeffers uses traditional lithographic printmaking to create the illustrations, and there's such a sharpness to the colors. Readers can practically see the light gleaming off the ocean and the dirt on the mountain. Not every page has illustrations, however. Many spreads feature either text or images, not both, imploring readers to slow down and ponder every beat of the story. This is most evident on the text-only pages, where the text at the top is followed by empty white space. Jeffers offers literal space for the eye to run down the page before reading the next line or taking in the next illustration.


The Fate of Fausto publishes in the US next Tuesday, September 17, 2019. And here's a peek underneath the dust jacket!




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