Structure of Essex County

            In Jeff Lemire’s Essex County, three unique stories tell a tale that gives an audience a very special history of the small town. In the first book, Tales from the Farm, a young boy has to deal with living with a distant uncle after his mother passed away. The young boy befriends a mysterious older man, who is no stranger to the uncle. The second book, Ghost Stories, is narrated by a senile old man in which he tells his life story involving glory days, relationships with his brother, and so on. At the same time, he has to realize the fact that he is getting older, and can no longer live on his own. His personal nurse struggles with trying to take care of this man, but it is too much once the third book, The Country Nurse, starts, for the man dies of old age. The story now revolves around this lone nurse, who is distant from her son, but is also very strong when dealing with death or loss. The viewer becomes aware of her role during some flashbacks to 1917. Basically, the stories become less confusing as they go along, and even after reading the first one, the reader most likely will want to keep going. Not only because of Lemire’s fantastic arts, but for the story structure, especially.

            We get a glimpse of the world that is Essex County in the first book, but it really doesn’t expand until the second. Lemire wants to introduce a few characters and a handful of conflicts, but will not jump into the story in just the first few pages. No, the reader has to get to book two for the main plot to really start. And even when you think you understand it, book three comes along and really throws you for a loop. I’m not saying that the structure is at all confusing; on the contrary, he pulls it off magnificently, and we don’t even think twice about it. I feel like this story would not even exist if not for Lemire’s unique structures. They really emphasize a story that (let’s face it) isn’t absolutely amazing. But because of the homeliness and “average” feel to it, using such an artistic style and structure adds so much to the excellent novel.