Isol’s picture book Impossible (2018, published 2021 in English) was a disappointment, because it was Isol.
Perhaps I should explain.
I recently learned of Isol, by checking out the winners the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. I picked up Daytime Visions, and was very impressed: it was an ambitious and artistic riff on the alphabet book concept. I followed that with Loose Threads, a longer but even more ambitious take on the picture book. I was impressed, and started seeking out all Isol.
This led me to Impossible. The artwork is just as artistic as in other books: images use placement on the page, contrast, and color to multiple their impact, and evoke more emotion than most picture book images.
That leaves the story. And that’s the problem. A pair of parents have Toribio, who is two–and terrible. He’s loud, demanding, and keeps them from concentrating, or sleeping. They are at their wit’s end. Then they see an ad from Mrs. Meridien, who “can solve any problems.” They set up an appointment. Meridien arrives, interviews them, and takes their money.
The next morning, the parents sleep in, because Toribio is quiet. Once they’re up, they find Toribio has been transformed into a cat who does all the things they couldn’t get Toribio to do, like “eat protein” and “bathe without fussing.”
The end.
And that’s the problem. The reversal is fine, but it stops there. The parents accept the change, and now have only one question left: who will cut the cat’s nails.
That’s a minimal story. I smiled, but I’ll never have to return here, and it seems like Isol missed a ton of opportunities for after.
