T hroughout, she also shows the environmental impact of the oil fields with the most prominent example being the discovery of hundreds of dead ducks in the oil sands. She goes to extensive lengths to show how life in these oil fields affects the people there with many of them being reduced to animals acting on primal instinct. That isn’t to say she takes a backseat, however she is still very much the central protagonist and this is still her story but the focus on others along with herself helps build a sense of community in the oil fields which only enhances the story’s most beautiful but also most tragic moments. This focus on human interaction helps to elevate the story and give it a wider purpose beyond just the experiences of Beaton. It also tells other stories that highlight the experiences of others in the oil fields through her perspective. I value good coloring in graphic novels a lot but in this context, the lack of color only helps enhance the book’s themes and the book would be worse if it were in full color.ĭespite being a memoir, “Ducks” is not solely focused on Beaton. Despite being in black-and-white, there doesn’t feel like anything is lost in the translation.
Life in the oil fields is not pretty, to say the least.īeaton employs a more minimalistic art style than other graphic memoirs like “Fun Home” but that stylistic minimalism lends itself to hyper-expressive characters which help to heighten the emotions of a scene while also being visually appealing.īeaton also utilizes black-and-white coloring with a slight blue wash that highlights the harsh and cold nature of the oil fields. According to Beaton, she only had $40,000 in loans, which only highlights how people on the lower end of the spectrum of student loans can still be fighting a massive uphill battle right after they get out of college. “Ducks” follows Beaton’s experience working in the Canadian oil industry to pay off her student loans. This is not a story for the faint of heart and I think anyone interested in this book should be prepared for these subjects because they are very often hard to read even for the most stoic of readers. There are a lot of extremely heavy and hard-to-read topics at play here, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, environmental destruction, drug use, and more. Author, Kate Beaton provides a brutally honest yet emotionally impactful memoir that explores the messy and oftentimes conflicting nature of man to form not only one of the best graphic novels I have ever read but one of the best books I have ever read. “Ducks Two Years in the Oil Sands” is the best graphic novel I’ve read in quite a long time.
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