Review - Seraphin

Seraphin
by Philippe Fix
Date: 1967
Publisher: Elsewhere Editions
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 28
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

From Hans Christian Anderson award-winning author Philippe Fix, a dazzling portrait of a dreamy optimist filling Paris with ingenious gadgets, toys, and magical contraptions.

Seraphin, dreaming of gardens full of birdsongs, sunny avenues, and flowers, works as a ticket seller in a metro station underground. One day, after being scolded by the stationmaster for trying to save a butterfly that had flown into the station by accident, he learns that he has inherited an old, dilapidated house. Overjoyed by the possibilities, he and his friend Plume set about building the house of their dreams, and much more besides! Philippe Fix's illustrations, cinematic in their scope, have enchanted children since their 1967 debut. In a fresh translation, Seraphin now allows a new generation to experience the wonder and inventive spectacle of the original.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This is a brand-new English translation of a 1967 French picture book that maybe should've stayed untranslated. What starts out looking like a charming story about a funny little man rather abruptly devolves into a head-scratcher with a deux ex machina ending.

We're introduced to Seraphin, an old man who--for some reason--has never decided what he wants to be when he grows up. He has a short career as a ticket puncher before fate intervenes and somebody leaves him a ramshackle house in their will. With the help of his friend, a little boy named Plume, he fixes up the house. Then he builds a great music-making machine. The friends live happily in the house, which may or may not be possessed; there's a weird incident that seems to have nothing to do with anything, where Plume's sitting by the fire and the sound of squealing sap makes all the carvings and pictures in the house come to life.

Eventually, the government comes and tries to evict Seraphin to build condos on the land. He and Plume hole up in the house until the authorities come banging on the door. Then they build a wooden tower up from the top of the house to escape. Just when it looks like they're about to be caught... they step off into the sky on a set of movable stairs.

Unfortunately, I'm not kidding. The book doesn't seem like it's going to be fantasy, and then all of a sudden it throws in stuff like the moving statues and the walking on air. It's really disjointed. On top of that, it's a bit of a chore to read. This is very heavy on the text for so short a book.

I've seen some other reviewers mention the inappropriate relationship between Seraphin and Plume. I didn't really get that, although I was looking at it through a more innocent lens and trying to remember when it was originally written. There's nothing overtly creepy about the relationship, but viewed in light of our current understanding of sexual predators, it might give some readers pause. (Where are Plume's parents? How much time does he actually spend with Seraphin alone at his house? Why doesn't this old guy have any friends his own age?)

In any case, this isn't really a book I'd recommend. It's too wordy, and the plot goes from intriguing to downright silly in the final act.

Thank you to NetGalley and Elsewhere Editions for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 2/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 2/5
Originality: 2/5

Enjoyment: 1/5

Overall: 1.83 out of 5