The Silent Realms

At the age of twelve, Persephone encounters death for the first time – at the wake for her neighbor Victor. Barely acquainted with him, she suddenly sees him as a ghost. Two skeletons arrive too late and should normally have carried Victor's last breath into the afterlife, because only then can he reach the realm of the dead. Now it's up to Persephone to travel to the underworld and find the lost breath.

The story combines child-friendly humor with a respectful handling of themes such as loss and grief. Séverine Gauthier tells it with empathy and inventiveness; the gothic, playful drawings by Jérémie Almanza – with echoes of Tim Burton's "Corpse Bride" – turn the adventure into a unique comic experience.