Read the description/synopsis:
THE FACTORY- A GRAPHIC NOVEL PROJECT BY ELENA BLANCO
Following the death of her mother, Vera Daszgort travels to her family’s hometown. Driven by a desire to uncover her parents' untold story, she becomes immersed in a quest to understand her own identity.
When she crosses paths with a young man new perspectives seem to emerge. He is intrigued by the disused factory that lies at the heart of the town and sees it as a symbol of creation and a source of boundless potential. In this space, reclaimed now by nature, forests thrive among the ruins, abandoned excavations have become ponds and flowers bloom among the rusty parts of old cars.
As they walk across the enigmatic realm of the factory land, the young man's unwavering passion and child-like love for this place fuel a fantastic tale which soon will touch Vera’s imagination too.
PERSONAL STATEMENT
The idea for this novel is based on a real factory. My family come from a village in north of Spain which surrounds a huge cement factory. I have always been fascinated by this monstrous contraption around which the economy and the life of the village has revolved without people knowing much about it.
This image echoes works of literature and cinema I love such as Kafka’s The Castle, the Strugastkys’ Roadside Picnic and Trakovsky’s The Stalker. In this way the factory became in my imagination a character in itself and a place where fantastic things could happen.
The factory in my story with its complex and enigmatic nature, becomes a symbol of creativity and storytelling.
SYNOPSIS
The novel is structured in 4 chapters.
[TOBIAS] Vera's quest begins when she stumbles upon long-forgotten photographs and newspaper clippings that hint at the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of her father Tobias in the factory.
[THE FACTORY] As Vera and her friend Rob walk around the factory’s grounds, painful memories and emotions rise to the surface, but the extraordinary energy of the place seems to offer the possibility of healing and transformation, opening new perspectives.
[ROB] The introduction of Matt, a mysterious newcomer, sheds new light on Rob's past and raises conflicting emotions in Vera.
[VERA] In the final pages of the novel a poignant encounter with an old friend of Vera’s dad will mark the closure of her quest and the opening of a new understanding.
