I am extremely pleased to announce, that our graphic novel “Ivalu” will be published in France by the eminent French publisher Éditions Sarbacane:
https://editions-sarbacane.com
“Ivalu”
Graphic novel by Morten Dürr and Lars Horneman
Danish publication date: September 2019
116 pages content, Full color.
“Ivalu”
Where is Ivalu? One morning she was just gone. Pipaluk go and search for her bigger sister.
“Ivalu” is a graphic novel about the horrible cost of sexual abuse against children. The story is set in arctic Greenland, where the beautiful wide open scenery creates a stark contrast to theme of lingering personal trauma.
Synopsis:
Pipaluk lives in a small town in Greenland.
Everyone in town is looking forward to the big event of the summer.
The Danish queen will visit the village. All the people gather at the harbor to wait for the arrival of her boat. They wave flags and smile.
Everyone smiles except Pipaluk. Something is wrong, her bigger sister Ivalu has gone missing.
Her father doesn’t care, he just keeps up his drinking.
That night a raven appears in Pipaluk’s dream. The raven promises to tell her where Ivalu is hiding.
The raven reappears in daylight when Pipaluk awakes.
Pipaluk skips school and follows the raven. She runs away from the village and through the lowlands by the sea dotted with icebergs. She runs into the hills and mountains looking for Ivalu.
In flashbacks, we learn more about Ivalu, Pipaluk and their father. We understand that Ivalu had a very good reason for running away. She was sexually molested by their father.
Pipaluk follows the raven to the forbidden ghostly area of the old abandoned American airbase where old trucks and machinery are left to rust.
There she is. Pipaluk. She has committed suicide by hanging herself.
Pipaluk wows to never tell her father where Pipaluk is, as a way to protect and honor her sister.
Author and illustrators intention:
By making the graphic novel “Ivalu” we wanted to discuss the horrible and devasting effect of sexual molestation of children. Mostly the victims suffer in silence shrouded by taboo, shame and secrets. With this book, we wanted to raise awareness about a deep persistent flaw and tragedy of modern life.
We have tried to tell the story in such a way, that the book can be read by children from 13 years and up – as well as adults. We hope that the book will be used in homes, schools and group readings to discuss issues such as human rights from a child’s perspective.
We have set the story in Greenland because the wide open expansive landscape in Greenland is a perfect metaphor for the loneliness of a child, who has experienced abuse. Greenland is so wast, empty and beautiful, that you cannot help but feel overwhelmed and a little lost. For this reason – and for the fact that child abuse is a huge problem in Greenland – we wanted to tell the story in this setting.
The theme of the book
Sexual abuse of children is widespread in most cultures. In Europe available data suggest that 20% of all children have been victims of sexual abuse. The numbers are about the same in the USA, where one in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused before they turn 18 years old. The number is even higher in Greenland where it is estimated that one third of all children have been abused – and even higher still in India, where according to a 2007 study conducted by India’s ministry of women and child development, 53% of children surveyed said they had been subjected to some form of sexual abuse.
Preview a sample of the book (in Danish):
