O Josephine

O Josephine! by Jason, 174 pages.

The last book I remember reading by Jason was his 2017 effort On the Camino. At first, this work seems that it will continue in the same vein, with the author hiking another famous trail, this time the Wicklow Way, in Ireland. What was at first autobiographical (or at least I presumed) becomes altogether different with Jason's interpretation of the live of singer / songwriter Leonard Cohen. In this recounting of his live, Cohen has many adventures and several fights with the famous, punching George Harrison, Bob Dylan, and Morrissey. I don't know enough about Cohen to tell where this narrative might stray from the truth, so I'm willing to believe it all. I'm a little more skeptical of his account of Napoleon Bonaparte dating both Josephine and another Josephine, but that was a fun story. Jason's art is character-focused, with almost everyone portrayed as a dog, a bird, or a cat. Jason uses a minimum of scenery or background, but what is there is presented with clean lines and a comforting detail.