Dry Cleaned
By (Author) Joris Mertens
Vintage Publishing
Jonathan Cape Ltd
15th July 2025
10th July 2025
United Kingdom
General
Fiction
Graphic novel / Comic book / Manga: Humorous
Graphic novel / Comic book / Manga: Modern and contemporary fiction / literature
Narrative theme: Interior life
Hardback
152
Width 236mm, Height 318mm, Spine 25mm
500g
In the rain-slicked, neon glowing streets of a 1970s continental metropolis, a man called Fran ois makes a snap decision that will change his life for good In the rain-slicked, neon glowing streets of a 1970s continental metropolis, a man called Fran ois makes a snap decision that will change his life for good Fran ois, in his fifties, living alone and low on cash, does not have the life he dreams of. With a cigarette stuck to the corner of his mouth and wearing his perpetual black suit, he has carried out the same morning routine for 17 years- entering the lottery with his lucky numbers, then knocking back a beer at Cafe Monico before his shift as the delivery driver for a dry cleaners. His days are brightened only by newsagent Maryvonne and her young daughter. He dreams of winning the lottery to give them a better life. When a routine delivery leads him to knock on the door of a countryside mansion, he enters the scene of a crime whose remains consist of a dozen bodies and a bag full of banknotes. What Fran ois chooses to do next could change his fate for good... Visually stunning, atmospheric and replete with the smoking irony of European noir, Dry Cleaned is a masterful tale about an anti-hero radically stepping out of his routine.
Joris Mertens is a Belgian graphic novelist, living in Flanders, Belgium. He trained as a graphic designer in Brussels, and worked for years in the advertising, film and television industry as a set designer, art director, illustrator and storyboard artist. His debut graphic novel, Beatrice (2019) won multiple international prizes and accolades.