Grandma’s memory is faltering. “His brain is nothing more than a slate that has been brushed over. His hair is covered in chalk dust. The light of day no longer reaches the depths of his head,” writes Katerine Martin, in the touching and poetic illustrated story The seahorse, an album for teenagers that addresses the fears, losses and brief flashes of magic that surround Alzheimer’s disease. Through a long car journey in the hope of making up time, a grandmother, her little daughter and her fading seahorse stock up on beauty, memories and sparks of joy. The author’s immersive and metaphorical pen evokes both the emotions, the vulnerability and the difficulties caused by illness as well as the hopes and wealth that old age leaves as a legacy, sprinkling a unique experience with a good dose of the universal. Mathilde Cinq-Mars’ soft and eloquent style brilliantly embraces the different tones borrowed by the story, as well as its constant oscillation between reality and imagination, turning each page into a true work of art.
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