Review of 'When the Wind Blows'
When the Wind Blows by Raymond Briggs
A retired couple go about their everyday lives until they learn that there is a nuclear war on it's way. Luckily they have the leaflets from the council they picked up from the local library that guides them in preparing for the upcoming disaster. After the inevitable the two emerge to find live irrevocably change…no water, electricity or post. Things do not look good for the gentle couple as they cope with the situation.
A wonderfully illustrated and wryly ironic graphic novel from beloved author Raymond Briggs. His charming, simple artistic style marries well with his simple but very realistic dialogue between the two characters. This story is completely told from their perspective with only the occasional two-page interludes that show the catastrophic world events that intrude upon them. The banality of the conversation complete with misunderstanding and bickering really adds to the realistic nature of the story dramatically contrasting with the horror of war making it, of course, far more tragic. It is an honest and heart-warming book that, of course, leads to not the happiest of endings.
A low-key though highly effective treatise on the tragedy of war and how it affects us all.
Rating: “Nearly perfect, but not quite”
Review Date: 2020-12-31
Genre: General Fiction
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: 1982
ISBN: 9780140094190