Pascal Ruter is a French author who has published numerous children’s novels including “Le coeur en braille” in 2012, before it was adapted into a feature film in 2016 by Michel Boujenah.
In this work which highlights the importance of family, Victor, a young teenager who is a bit of a dreamer and passionate about music, sees Marie-José arrive in his class. This novel was also adapted into a comic strip by the screenwriter Joris Chamblain (author of Enola and the Extraordinary Animals) and the designer Anne-Lise Nalin.
The authors
The two authors who have already published together in 2017 Diary of a Moon Child, which sensitively addressed the disease of xeroderma pigmentosum (hypersensitivity to ultraviolet radiation and the sun). Joris Chamblain, Anne-Lise Nalin and their publisher had committed to donating a percentage of the sales of the comic to the Enfants de la Lune association. For this work, they received numerous awards before publishing The Heart in Braille (2023) which underlined the importance of one’s entourage in the face of adversity.
Three years ago[1]
In the second volume of the series, the authors go back in time to introduce us to Victor’s family life before he entered college.
It was the year his mom was still at home.
It was the time of life lessons from his uncle Zak who said that in all joys, there is a little sadness like a pebble at the bottom of the shoe that you don’t quite like to remove (p. 63). He also said that there is always a little sadness at the heart of joy, but also joy at the heart of sadness, because that is the secret of life (p. 64).
This second volume of the series, which is pleasantly illustrated, brings out the expressions and emotions of the characters through a narrative that makes us laugh and moves us at the same time.
The comic book is published by Dargaud editions.
Reda Benkoula
[1] The heart in Braille, three years ago | Joris Chamblain (Screenplay) Anne-Lise Nalin (Drawing, Colors) | Dargaud | 2025 | 72 pages
