Frank, an anthropomorphic kind of cat, lives with his girlfriend Fran. Their relationship seems harmonious until Frank loses his temper after Fran breaks a strange device, one that appears to induce hallucinations or perhaps reveal the future. Fran leaves him, and Frank sets off to find her. Both characters journey through extraordinary, strange, and magical worlds, populated by equally bizarre figures, uncanny houses, and surreal landscapes. Told entirely without words, the narrative is not always easy to follow and can feel deliberately disorienting, but the stark black-and-white drawings are stunning. Visually, the book is remarkable, with truly exceptional artwork.
“You can read Fran before you read Congress of the Animals, and it will blend gracefully into it and explain a lot of what you have previously read; or you can read Fran after you read Congress of the Animals as a continuation of that story, after which you may wish to read Congress of the Animals again. Of course you can read Fran without reading Congress of the Animals at all. But read Fran you must, because between these pages is a situation that every human heart must contemplate to be fully prepared for any contingency.”
