It’s the kind of book that’s simultaneously almost too painful to read and yet impossible to put down. I know it’s only January, but I’m hard-pressed to imagine coming across a more emotionally honest and moving piece of art this year. The book recounts Rosalie’s life and death, and their immediate aftermath. The form of which Hart spoke became, ultimately, his new work, Rosalie Lightning: A Graphic Memoir. “There was a part of me,” says the soft-spoken, Gainesville-based Hart, “that realized I need to give my feelings some sort of form.” But Hart, the acclaimed author of the Hutch Owen series of graphic novels, wasn’t given a choice, nor did he have any option but to try to arrive at some sort of understanding - tenuous as it may be - by turning what happened into art. It’s the kind of thing often too painful to consider, let alone experience. Their baby girl, Rosalie, beautiful and vibrant, like all little children, died unexpectedly - and without explanation - in 2011, three weeks before her second birthday.

Graphic novelist Tom Hart and his wife, Leela, lived through a horror story. That was a heartwarming moment for a parent looking to rekindle the flame of hope, and brings the readers some relief.Tom Hart’s “Rosalie Lightning: A Graphic Memoir” I find some parts of this book very fragmented, and a little hard to follow. To me, it was these fragments that make this book even more heartbreaking–it is the feeling of not knowing and emptiness. The style of drawing for the main story line contains lots of thick strokes the characters do not really express any happiness on their faces. These details also contribute to the chaotic undertone of the book as well as the feeling of lost and sorrow. However, I also see this book as a form of closure for Hart, because in the book, he describes the process of discovering love and reflections of his daughter through the surroundings, that helps him to heal.Īt the very end of the book, a little girl of a stranger gave Hart a kiss on the cheek. Rosalie Lightning is a brave book, for searching for representations to express ones grievance is incredibly hard. Although having a seemingly lighthearted cover, this graphic novel explores the journey of grieving over the author’s young daughter’s unexpected and unexplained death.

Rosalie Lightning by Tom Hart