Britten and Brulightly Review

Britten and Brulightly by Hannah Berry

(from the back of the book)

Private detective Fernandez Britten is an old hand at confirming the dark suspicions of jealous lovers and exposing ugly truths of all varieties.  But, battered by the years of bringing ill tiding, he clings to the hope of revealing, just once, a truth that will do some good in the world.  It is a redemption that has eluded him for a long time.

Then Britten and his unconventional partner, Brulightly, take on the mysterious death of Berni Kudos.  The official verdict is suicide, but Berni’s fiancée is convinced that the reality is more sinister.  Blackmail, revenge, murder: each new revelation stirs up the muddy waters of painful family secrets, and each fresh twist takes the partners further from Britten’s longed-for salvation.  Doing good in the world, he discovers, may have more to do with silence than truth.

A haunting story of love and grief, sharply written and luminously drawn, Britten and Brulightly introduces an extraordinarily accomplished graphic novelist.

From the oversized book, to the graphics, to the story, this graphic novel is a lot of fun.  The soft drawings that use a lot of gray and light shades of washed out colors seem appropriate for the time and add to the sad feeling of the story and depressed attitude of Britten.  A lot of the story is told in journal entries which gives the reader an insight into Britten that lets you get to know him and to care about him.  The only problem with it is that since it is handwriting it sometimes gets difficult to read.  The complicated, slightly convoluted, story keeps you engaged as you try to figure it out and holds your interest as it comes to a conclusion.  The partner adds a unique twist too.  The whole thing has a wonderful noir feel.  Reminiscent of Chandler or Hammett but with great art to go along with it