The Heartless Troll by Øyvind Torseter

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Heartless Troll by Øyvind Torseter April Spisak Torseter, Øyvind The Heartless Troll; written and illus. by Øyvind Torseter; tr. by Kari Dickson. Enchanted Lion, 2016 114p ISBN 978-1-59270-193-3 $19.95 R* Gr. 5-8 This Norwegian import builds on the bones of a traditional folktale called “The Troll with No Heart in His Body” to make a thoughtful, poetic look at an underdog who sets off on a quest, defeats the bad guy, and saves (and gets) the girl. Prince Fred convinces his bereft father to let him go into the world to seek his six lost older brothers. He’s determined and he’s got a sardonic talking horse, which is a promising start, but Fred’s up against a lot of obstacles, especially the troll who can only be defeated by finding his hidden heart (spoiler alert: if you are going to hide your heart in a jar near an octopus, remember the cephalopods’ remarkable jar-opening abilities). Aside from a few prose passages, this story is told through the illustrations and in speech-bubble dialogue. Panels are used on occasion, but most of the illustrations are full page or even double-page spreads, immersing readers fully into this restricted palette world (red touches contrast with the largely black and white art) that is both sparse and lush, foreboding and welcoming. The troll is stunning—squashed into the borders of pages, with blurred gray and black eyes and body contortions that speak to both cruelty and a terror of being alone. It is clear that the troll is following the nature of trolls, and Prince Fred, a good guy through and through, is reluctant to harm it. Readers who appreciate the darker side of most old folk or fairy tales will warm to this one immediately, and graphic novel buffs who think they’ve long outgrown these sorts of stories will see how they can be made sophisticated, disturbing, and memorable in the hands of the right artist. Copyright © 2016 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois