By Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
A few years ago, my mother experienced a strange sensation in her eyes, and she wisely decided to promptly visit the ophthalmologist. It turned out that her retina was detached, and nobody was able to explain to us why it had happened. However, thanks to the timely discovery of the problem, she underwent the necessary surgeries, preventing potential blindness. Now, you may wonder why I’m sharing all of this instead of simply reviewing “The Impending Blindness of Billie Scott.” Well, although I was aware that the graphic novel by Zoe Thorogood revolves around a young artist racing against time to create paintings for her debut art exhibition before losing her sight, what I didn’t know was that the protagonist herself had experienced a detached retina. So, the graphic novel struck a personal chord with me.
Billie Scott, the protagonist, is a young, introverted artist who spends her days secluded in her room, engrossed in her art. Just as she receives the opportunity of a lifetime to showcase her works at an exhibition, Billie falls victim to a senseless act of street violence that damages her eyes. Devastatingly, she is given a grim prognosis: she will lose her eyesight within a mere two weeks. The novel chronicles Billie’s remarkable journey as she strives to create ten paintings before succumbing to complete blindness. Zoe Thorogood takes readers on a wild ride about a young artist fighting despair, finding inspiration and forging new friendships.
Since art is a central theme in the story, the artwork complements the plot seamlessly. Zoe Thorogood skillfully employs a somber palette and deliberately incorporates numerous “scratches” in the panels, giving the illustrations a worn-out and exhausted appearance that mirrors the protagonist’s state. I loved Zoe’s artwork in the autobiographical work “It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth”, even though its content wasn’t as engrossing. Even in this book, horror manga fans will be able to spot the creator’s nod to Junji Ito, even though they aren’t as direct.
Billie meets an interesting bunch of characters through the book, faces a few more mishaps along the way and is acutely made aware of her privilege, since she does have a home to go back to, unlike some of the runaways and homeless folks she meets. Apart from a few stale philosophical conversations, “The Impending Blindness of Billie Scott” is a riveting read and ends with a surprisingly realistic ending. Or at least it doesn’t have the kind of typical climax I was expecting. It’s a pretty impressive debut graphic novel, definitely check it out if you are a fan of the format.
It’s a 4 on 5 from me.
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