Frances is a comic book trilogy that travels back and forth in time, following an orphaned girl Frances in a story about family, class, prejudice and imagination.
After the loss of her father, Frances enters a new world – she moves from the countryside to the city to live with her aunt and her senile, bad-tempered grandfather. Between the difficult cohabitation, painful acceptance of her father's death, visits of horrible cousins and their intruding mother, the loss of old friends and the revelation of her aunt’s relationship with another woman, Frances tries to find her place in an unstable environment. In the second and third volume, the tragic destiny of her parents takes precedence over the story, but Hellgren cleverly merges the two story frames. Frances slowly learns about her mother who disappeared after her birth and discovers her father’s dark history. Hellgren weaves a dense tale, slow and thrilling at the same time. The story advances gradually, keeping many elements in the blur, while Hellgren distills the keys of the girl’s past one by one.
What is most precious in Joanna Hellgren's story is all that is unknown, which the author seems to discover at the same time as the reader. Through her light and subtle drawing, she suggests rather than explains, making the whirlwind of events seem light despite their darkness. Like deep breaths, the dreamlike pages punctuate the story and add to its haunting charm.