Review: Petty Theft by Pascal Girard

Title: Petty Theft

Author : Pascal Girard

Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly

Publication Date: May 2014

ISBN: 9781770461529

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Pascal is in a bad place. He’s out of work, he and his longtime girlfriend have just broken up, and when he goes out for a run to ease his frazzled nerves, he falls and injures his back so badly that he’s strictly forbidden from running. What’s an endorphin-loving cartoonist to do? In a bid to distract himself, Pascal throws himself into his other pleasure: reading. And while at the bookstore one day, he spies a young woman picking up his own book. But then she darts out of the shop without paying. Bemused, he decides to figure out why she did it.

 This book was given to me by a friend and to be totally honest with you, it’s not a comic that I would be drawn to at the bookstore. It’s a little small and it isn’t very thick. It’s a quick read and I wouldn’t think to buy it. It turned out to be so much better than I ever anticipated. It’s a comic unlike any other that I’ve read before. The story is a little bizarre (i.e. Pascal receives a giant paper mache head, a likeness of his ex-girlfriend from an old Halloween costume), but it’s quirky and the more you read, the more you can’t help but like it.

Pascal is out of work and he’s injured his back. He can’t exercise and he’s recently ended a long-term relationship. His life is crappy. In one of his frequent visits to a local bookshop, he spies a nimble kleptomaniac in the store that’s been plagued by theft. Pascal takes on a role of book saviour, while his attraction to the thief grows. Their relationship is awkward and strange, but I liked it. Their interaction really portrayed the discomfort and nervousness, but also the excitement of beginning a new relationship.

The drawings fit emphasize the quirky, but likeable nature of the story. Each scene is depicted as a stand-alone, black and white sketch, independent of the drawings around it. There is nothing typical about the style: no constraining borders, little shadow or depth. The images are honest and revealing, and aren’t trying to embellish the story. What is really quite ordinary, becomes extraordinary.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of drawings. It’s worth looking into and it’ll bring a smile to your face.