2023-07-05 10:43:00
Jean Aubertin and Adèle Albrespy paint the portrait of an Italian teenager, who will assert herself over the pages thanks to learning to ride a motorcycle.
Each week, “Liberation” reviews the news of children’s books.
In the early 2000s, Franca was 18 years old. His mother died suddenly of cancer. The teenager had to leave Rome to live with her aunt and uncle in the small town of Carbonia, in southern Sardinia. She is unhappy, without really any friends and seeks an escape from her sadness which devours her body and heart.
In this island corner of Italy, one mechanical sport reigns supreme: motorcycling. All young people do. Franca tries one day, as a passenger. It’s a revelation: thanks to the adrenaline of speed, she forgets everything. Finally, she no longer thinks of her grief, but of enjoying life. A door has opened in her mind, she decides to buy a Ducati. It doesn’t appeal to everyone: a girl, not from the area, who decides to ride a big bike, it’s frowned upon. So, when she decides to take part in the annual competition… No, but who does she think she is?
In Motorossa, in a few pages, the scene is set: the old people hanging out on the terrace, the women preparing to eat, the Mediterranean, the blue expanses, the beach, the softness of the creeks where one bathes and which one accesses through sharp turns in which it is easy to rev the engine. The two authors, Jean Aubertin and Adèle Albrespy draw a pretty portrait of a youth as it always is: hesitating between boredom and its dreams, between respect for traditions and a desire for modernity. Should we leave, dream of a greater life, on the continent? Or conversely, is it better to stay, since anyway, here, we have everything, the sun and the dolce vita?
By learning to ride a motorcycle, Franca will grow, assert herself, begin to believe in herself and force others to respect her. The narration skillfully alternates between racing scenes, thrilling, and everyday life, where we argue, we party, we look sideways to maybe one day love each other. The colourful, clean, somewhat cartoonish design reinforces this impression of an eternal holiday. The comic strip makes you want, perhaps not to get on the bike because there is a great risk of ending up in the background, but to go to Carbonia this summer, watch the sea and, in the bends, look for exploits with a glance from France.
Motorossa by Jean Aubertin (drawing and screenplay), Adèle Albrespy (screenplay), Dargaud, 160 pp., €20.50.
#Italy #teenager #wheels #Liberation