I’m just scratching the surface here in this blog post. Eleanor manages to capture the tenderness and heartbreak of close female friendship so concisely.Īnd I guess that’s my last point-the concision of Eleanor’s work.

Their relationship is intense and their love for each other overwhelming, and confusing, and messy. Hannah idolizes Gabby, and Gabby adores Hannah. And that, Eleanor making me feel sympathetic toward someone while also wanting to actively look away? That is truly remarkable cartooning.Īnd then, perhaps my favourite part of the book, is the relationship between Hannah and her best friend Gabby, a queer naturalist and activist.

His humanity is pretty undeniable-his fears are the same as everyone else, his coping strategies just take a different form. I seethe when I look at his face, while also feeling compassion. Perhaps the best example of this is Tyler, an off-grid conspiracy theorist who’s stocking up on guns and covers his windows is tin foil to keep out the waves. And despite all the dread she’s surrounded by, that hope, that pure human desire to fight for what you love, ends up being louder than all the muck.īut it’s not just Hannah-all Eleanor’s characters are so palpable.

Wait, what? Does hope seem out of place here? What’s so powerful about Eleanor Davis’s The Hard Tomorrow is while she’s weaving a critical contemporary story that’s steeped in the dread of our time, her main character, Hannah, is filled with this beautiful hope for tomorrow.

Eleanor davis the hard tomorrow