The irony didn’t escape me when I decided to review Ileana Surducan’s The Lost Sunday. It’s actually what motivated me. I don’t write too many reviews, because – between a full-time job, family with young kids, household chores and various other to-dos – I just don’t have enough free time. In fact, when I’d planned to start writing this review Saturday evening after a long day of getting things done, I instead had to fix my unexpectedly broken printer. I was so angry. I wanted to throw the stupid thing against the wall for stealing the little free time I was supposed to have.
Nina, the young protagonist of The Lost Sunday, knows this feeling all too well. She lives in a city with no Sunday – no day of rest – because an evil witch stole it. And the other six days are vicious wolves filled with tedious work that never produces meaningful results. After Saturday, the next week starts again with Monday and the same fruitless cycle. Until finally, Nina has had enough and sets out into the witch’s dangerous world to bring Sunday back.
Oni Press
As you’ve probably figured out, Surducan tells the story about burnout and the necessity of rest as a modern-day fairy tale, full of whimsy and charm. Well, it’s actually a re-telling – or rather re-molding – of the fairy tale known in Germany as Frau Holle and in many other countries as The Old Woman’s Daughter and the Old Man’s Daughter.
Created during the 2020 pandemic, the Romanian Surducan originally published The Lost Sunday in French. Romanian and English versions were later funded by a very successful Kickstarter campaign. The book garnered Surducan an Eisner nomination in 2022 for best painter/multimedia artist. This week, Oni Press releases the hardcover English version of The Lost Sunday to a wider distribution.
From the very first page, the whimsical illustrations as well as the charming prose won me over, reminding me of Skottie Young’s career-defining – and Eisner-winning – work on The Wizard of Oz comic series put out by Marvel. Nina narrates as she walks across precarious ladders and rope bridges between the Dr. Seuss-like buildings of her stressed-out town. The stressful days of the week are literally illustrated as fantastical wolves which become the panels in which Nina and the other characters act. All of the characters look fanciful, friendly and fun.
Oni Press
Basically, from the imagery to the narrative style, Surducan perfectly captures everything that makes fairy tales, parables and fables so wonderful, joyful and powerful. The fanciful and mystical elements allow both young and old to escape within a magical world with childlike innocence and awe. And although the story is simple on the surface, it’s full of deep layers; lessons for both children and adults.
Surducan creates these layers as much through the art as through the story. For example, she uses colors to contrast the gray and brown world of burnout with the brightness and lightness of free time. The effect works on both the cognitive as well as the emotional level, as all good fairy-tales should. Each page is delightful.
Surducan handles the themes and morals with maturity and wisdom. While the focus never strays far from the dangers of burnout and the necessity of taking breaks, she also presents the problem of falling off the other side of the horse. One could ‘solve’ burnout by making every day Sunday – always taking a break, living lazy and selfish. But, Surducan exposes this fallacy, too. And so, we learn with Nina the value of hard, productive work, done humbly to bring about positive change, as we also realize how equally valuable rest and free time are to a good life.
Oni Press
On Sunday, I was able to put The Lost Sunday to the real test. When I sat down Sunday afternoon for a second reading, my four year-old son and seven year-old daughter soon sat next to me on the couch. Immediately, they became enthralled by The Lost Sunday, listening intently throughout the full 52-page story, asking excited questions and pointing at the delightful drawings. My daughter giggled cheerfully at a snippet of dialogue here or a silly image there. And she persistently asked about the themes of greed, humility, laziness, hard work and rest long after we finished. When I asked if we should buy a physical copy of the book, both answered loudly and positively. While reading The Lost Sunday, my children and I experienced the magic of a fairy tale together. And it was absolutely the best part of my Sunday. (Thank you, Ileana Surducan!)
Ileana Surducan’s Eisner-nominated The Lost Sunday is a delightful re-telling of a traditional fairy tale, adding modern-day themes of burnout and the necessity of free time. Through whimsical illustrations, beautiful colors, charming characters and layered storytelling, Surducan captures everything wonderful, joyful and meaningful about fairy tales. And most important, my children were completely enthralled from beginning to end.
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