Little Victories by Yvon Roy

RATING : 5/5

I had the chance to discover this cute little comic thanks to Titan Books! I honestly loved the graphic novel, serving as a memoir. It follows the journey of a Yvon Roy, a Dad who finds ways to raise his autistic son. I find the storytelling tender and uplifting between a dad and son, the chemistry and the bond they have built over the years. It’s a story about connecting with your child and even though in a lot of times the system does help, Roy has shown that sometimes you got to find your own ways as well to know your son.

(c) Trang Tran

I also admired the way he mentioned the struggles in his life, offers with no pretense his point of views and the challenges of divorce while raising the child with two separate parents. I would definitely recommend this graphic novel, as I think it’s important for more and more people to read and experiment this kind of relationship.

I was very excited to learn that Mr Roy lives in Montreal (the same city as me) so I jumped on the occasion to ask him a few questions:

 T :Little Victories deal with autism through a parent’s eyes. The title does it refer to your little victories or Oliver’s own little victories? 

Y : Both. They were our victories. Parenting is about reciprocity : I adapt to you, you adapt to me. We grow together. 

T :I found interesting that you mentioned since the beginning that you will leave all the technical aspects of autism to the professionals. Did you anticipate criticism about it with this comic?(How people will see it as a manual-how-to)? 

Y : Exactly. Right from the start, I wanted to make sure that people understood that my book was coming from the heart, more than anything. Science might be exact and useful, but in showing and explaining just a fragment of reality.  «Little Victories» is about being there.

T : What is the one thing you want people to remember when they finish reading this comic? 

Y : That they have super powers.

T :The art is delicate, simple and beautiful. Did you envision the style of the comics before hand? Or you go along as you write the script? 

Y : Thank you so very much for the comment. The style was determined before hand. I took 3 months to just find the right spirit, the right lines. In term of action, humour and emotion, I had much to communicate, so I needed the right tone. I forbid myself any complexity. All had to be easy to read, having in mind that some of the readers would be unfamiliar with the concept of a graphic novel. I wanted that book to be accessible.

(c) Trang Tran

T : What is your mental state now after creating and writing this comic? Was the process therapeutical for you?

Y : I feel at ease, at peace. The book helped me put some order in my souvenirs, I cried more than a few times, the tears I didn’t have time to shed then. I’m so happy that the book is living a life of its own, giving hope and smiles.

(c) Trang Tran

Big Thank You to Titan Books and Yvon Roy for taking the time to answer my questions!

– TRANG T.