Monday, October 22, 2012

Lou! Secret Diary by Julien Neel

Another French graphic novel import, Lou is your average middle school girl.  She loves theatre (that's THEATRE, with a re), makes her own clothes, and has a huge crush on someone who she can't bring herself to talk to.  She also has an awesome best friend, and a video game loving mom who she's determine to set up with the guy across the hall.  Life is never dull for Lou!

I am confused how Lou's mother is able to pay rent.  She is always shown coming in from being out somewhere or playing video games.  She's supposedly writing a novel, but I can't image she's bringing in a whole lot of money doing that.  So I did wonder about that.  Maybe Lou's grandmother supports them.

It was cute.  Lou gets frustrated with her mom sometimes, because she's not very mom-like.  Her mom is a bit of an airhead, and sure does love her video games, but you can tell Lou wouldn't want her to really be different. 

The story is kind of episodic, but there is an underlying story under it all.  Lou has a crush on Tristan, who lives in her apartment building.  Although the two become friends, and he even teaches her to play guitar, Lou can't get up the courage to tell him she likes him.  Like, likes him likes him.  Lou's mom has a crush on Richard, the guy who lives in the apartment across the hall from them.  Lou is determined to get her mom and Richard together, and Richard clearly likes her, but Lou's mom can be a little oblivious. 

Most of the book is very light, but there are some more serious moments, like when Lou tells her best friend Mina the little she knows about her dad, or when Lou's mom sends her to a psychiatrist.  Even these moments, which could be very serious, are told in a lighthearted way, and it never really gets to deep into things.

The story ends when Richard has left for the summer and Lou's mom has been unable to tell him how she feels, and just as Lou gets up the courage to tell Tristan she likes him, he moves away without a word to her.  I assume there will be more stories about Lou, but as far as I can tell, no more have been written yet.

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