Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Half-way through the graphic novel “Rivers” by David Gaffney and Dan Berry, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue reading it, because it had multiple protagonists, all of them going through extremely different things, so it all felt extremely random. However, towards the end, David Gaffney merges all the seemingly haphazard paths together to give readers a wistful ending, which is partially contrived yet slightly satisfactory. “At least it all makes sense now!,” was my key takeaway.
“Rivers” starts with a flashback of two school-boys reading a comic called “Revenge of the Ghoulors”, the panels of which makes their way into the graphic novel – a colorful retro sci-fi tale about two intergalactic aliens who hunt monstrous entities. Where these two kids from the flashbacks fit into the main story isn’t revealed until the very end of the graphic novel. In the current timeline of “Rivers”, there seem to be three different protagonists – Heidi, an introvert who works from home and obsesses over an app about dreams; Gideon, an awkward, asocial I.T guy who is on the verge of developing a possible romantic connection with a co-worker; and Peter, a divorcee in his 50s who sells old cars and seems like a cheery wacko.
Given the multiple protagonists who have nothing to do with each other, I was very confused about what was happening in “Rivers” for almost 60 percent of the graphic novel. Eventually, it turns into a weirdly emotional story about past trauma, nostalgia, and grief. Thankfully, all three diverse characters do end up having something that connects them. It is Heidi’s activity on the dream site that brings them together, which is one of the most fun concepts in the story—a site where people can anonymously write about their dreams, and others can reach out to them if they want to.
The artwork by Dan Berry is simple, doodle-style, with a sober color palette, and while not striking, it’s engaging enough for the offbeat, fragmented story. At one point in the book, I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to rate this graphic novel, just because the plot progression wasn’t very interesting to me, yet, at the same time seemed like the kind of existential genre some readers would be able to find some thrills in.
Rating: 3 on 5. “Rivers” is also on Kindle Unlimited.
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