An Age of License by Lucy Knisley, Fantagraphic Books
Pretty soon, I could have a whole shelf that’s only filled with books by Lucy Knisley. The latest addition to my collection (Relish, Make Yourself Happy, Radiator Days) is this year’s An Age of License, a travelogue from an up-in-the-air period of Lucy’s life when she decided to travel Europe.
In An Age of License, it’s 2011. Lucy, who was then living in NYC, found herself heartbroken, restless and invited to be a guest at a comic fair in Norway. So she did what most people would do: use that as an excuse to take a stroll around Europe.
First, she’d go to Bergen (Norway), then she’d go to Stockholm to visit a handsome potential fling, then she’d pop in on her friends’ honeymoon in Berlin, visit another friend in Beaune (France), her mom and mom’s friends in Royan (France) and then end the trip in Paris.
Lucy’s writing and illustrations are conversational and personal. You feel like her friend even if you don’t actually know her, by the way she explains her feelings and experiences. Her questions are both theoretical and identifiable. She’s clear and concise, so easy to understand, making for a comfortable read. I also love the pairing between comics and watercolour portraits.
The overall trip is minimal on the drama (a good thing for Lucy, though unusual from what we’re always presented for singleton-goes-to-Europe trips) and big on the fun. It’ll make you want to go to Europe, so, hey, travel industry, have you tapped into travelogues yet?
You’ll be glued waiting to see what happens next, mad when unfortunate things happen and happy when Lucy’s happy.
Lucy’s already announced her follow-up: Displacement, a travelogue about going on a boat cruise with her grandparents. I can’t wait.