The Dam Keeper

I didn’t know what to expect of this graphic novel. I was intrigued enough to read to the end, a bit miffed that you turn the last page without really resolving much- the mystery is not solved- but obviously it leads into a sequel (or more). Premise is: these animals live in a village surrounded and protected by a high wall. Outside the wall (called ‘the Dam’) is dark, threatening fog. A windmill-looking thing blows away the fog. The main characters are children- Pig, Fox and Hippo. Fox is friends with both Pig and Hippo, but the latter two don’t like each other. All the other animal kids seem carefree at school, but Pig doesn’t play much with the others, he’s preoccupied with his serious mission to keep the windmill operating and the dam functional, ever since his father went out into the fog and never returned. The other village inhabitants seem to have all gotten complacent and forgotten why it’s important. Pig is determined to keep up with his duties. He’s noticed an anomaly lately in the pattern of the dark fog, and is studying his father’s old records to figure it out, when a terrible breach occurs in the dam. Pig and Hippo go outside- where no one has been and returned alive- to rescue Fox. They stagger through a desolate wilderness of dead trees, meet a strange reptilian (or amphibian? it was hard to tell what he was), and just as the book ends, encounter something they never expected- another wall, this one with many windmills on top. The odd not-a-frog guy is leading them in there- to find what? And Pig keeps thinking he sees a shadowy figure like his father in the darkness- is he still alive somewhere? Guess I’ll have to read the next book.

I had a bit of difficulty enjoying this book because the pictures are all so atmospheric and dim, with low contrast, it’s often hard to make out what’s going on. And the character’s faces on the contrary are so simplistic, it’s hard to read their expressions. It’s an odd juxtaposition, such cute characters in such a dark, gloomy setting. Something about this book reminded me very strongly of The Mysteries– I suppose the ignorance and avoidance the village inhabitants had of the world outside their wall. And the dim, hazy images too.

Borrowed from the public library. Completed on 4/27/24.