Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
‘The Lighthouse’ by Paco Roca is a small graphic novel which begins quietly with pages simply featuring waves. Nothing else. It’s almost as if the creator is telling the reader: relax a little, before before you dive into this tale.
Since reading Paco Roca’s ‘The House’ in 2024, which was an absolute 5-star read for me, both in terms of story and art, I’ve been thinking of exploring more titles by the artist. So when I noticed ‘The Lighthouse’ was available on Kindle Unlimited while hunting for graphic novels, not a second was wasted in clicking ‘Add to Library’. If you love comics and graphic novels, the subscription is worth it, especially in India at least.
Okay, back to ‘The Lighthouse’
This is an escapist tale set during the Spanish Civil war, following an 18-year-old soldier as he barely survives enemy bullets and wakes up in the care of a friendly lighthouse keeper.
“Francisco Guirado, sergeant of the 21st battalion reporting for duty…”
That’s how the young soldier introduces himself to Telmo, the keeper.
Unimpressed, Telmo hilariously tells him that’s too long and starts calling him Moby Dick. And even though Franciso is wholly consumed by thoughts of war, politics, and death, Telmo manages to distract him with music, food, and fascinating stories of an enchanting island he hopes to sail to.
The lighthouse is out of commission, and Telmo claims he has been waiting for the government to send him a replacement bulb. The job seems to have been passed down through generations, and the keeper clearly loves it, meticulously maintaining the place even though, without a functioning light, there isn’t much actual lighthouse-keeping to do. So the two work on building a boat together.
Metaphorically, Telmo himself becomes the lighthouse in this tale, an older, wiser man standing apart from the politics and ugliness consuming the world around him. For Francisco, he is both refuge and anchor, offering him safety and friendship, but more importantly, illuminating a little path towards hope through the stories he tells.
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Given the action-packed opening pages, where Francisco almost dies, ambushed in the forest, you know the threat of enemy soldiers, guns and battles is never too far away. And the idyllic time by the coast isn’t going to last too long either: they’ll either be able to get away somewhere else if they manage to finish their boat, or be consumed by the war soon.
Since this graphic novel is under 100 pages, I think it’s best not to discuss too much about it. Paco Roca’s artwork is, of course, the primary highlight of ‘The Lighthouse’, whisking you away to an island by the sea, which, when not marred by the violence of war, holds the promise of endless possibilities. It’s a place where two absolute strangers, who in other circumstance might’ve been forced to treat each other as enemies, become dear friends.
I just wish this was just 10 pages longer and had a smoother ending! But given its brief length, you should definitely check it out if you’re a graphic novel enthusiast or a Paco Roca fan.
Rating: 4 stars on 5. ‘The Lighthouse’ is also on Kindle Unlimited.
Random note to regular readers: While beginning to write this review, I was reminded of Virginia Woolf’s novel ‘To the Lighthouse’, which is widely considered a literary classic. I absolutely did not like it. I found it tedious, boring and a book I’d never recommend to anybody. So I was tempted to be cheeky and start this review by declaring that Paco Roca’s ‘The Lighthouse’ is better than Woolf’s novel, and does better justice to its title too. But then I reminded myself to be a little more objective and not turn this into a completely unrelated rant. Anyway, I’m sticking it here at the end as a random personal thought for those who frequent Abstract AF.
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