The Fate of Fausto

As opposed to Jeffers's previous works, The Fate of Fausto makes use of traditional lithographic printmaking techniques.^[3][4][9] Inspired by storybooks from the 1920s and 30s, Jeffers wanted to create a book that lived up to the classic book-making techniques. He enlisted typographer David Pearson to typeset the book by hand.^[6] According to Pearson, Chambord Maigre, a 1945 type, was chosen for the book to offer "a simple, elemental appearance" and to reflect its themes of greed and power.^[6] The production process took place at the art studio Idem in Paris over the course of two to three weeks.^[4][6]

Jeffers used rich coloured-pencil style art to portray his "casual" figures.^[5] Created with a restricted palette,^[5] the pages are illustrated with saturated shades of neon pink, acid yellow, and Prussian blue over expanses of white spaces.^[1][2][9] The book features sparse prose and more illustrations, unlike Jeffers's other books.^[3][7][9] Leonard S. Marcus of The New York Times interpreted the predominance of blank spaces as "a strategy that symbolically isolates Fausto within his world and makes visible the emptiness of his relationship to it".^[3] The usage of monochromatic blue and brown strokes have been associated with the joyless and worn out state of the Earth.^[2]

Critics complimented the book's sparse narrative, minimalistic illustrations, and its appeal to the readers.^[3][7][9] The Guardian and Time considered The Fate of Fausto to be among the best children's books of 2019, with the latter singling out the "interplay of images and words" that resulted in a "contemplative reading experience for readers of all ages", and the former calling it as "an essential buy for picture book lovers aged five to 85".^[7][10] Imogen Carter of The Guardian described the book as "a fantastically fresh departure" and commented that "it's a tale full of suggestion with expanses of white page wittily used as pregnant pauses and punctuation." She lauded the traditional artwork and regarded it as "the most beautiful [picture book] of the year".^[9] S. Marcus identified that the book's illustrations showcased Jeffers's signature "nonchalant finesse" and his preference for "richly saturated colours". He praised Jeffers for offering "swift justice in a few concluding words that make for an ending that satisfies for being both fair-minded and irrevocable".^[3] In a journal article published in The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Deborah Stevenson said that the book's "folkloric structure and style" made it enjoyable to read and found the plot both "humorous and gratifying". She dubbed it "a brief Kurt Vonnegut story about Joseph Heller".^[5] Writing for the School Library Journal, Chance Lee Joyner regarded the book as a "minimalistic masterpiece" and "a must-read for all ages".^[2]

Some critics have also commented on the themes explored in the book. A review in Publishers Weekly of The Fate of Fausto described it as "boldly conceived and gracefully executed" and that "Jeffers's dark fable imagines what happens when desire leads to selfishness and self-destruction, and shows the merits of calm refusal in the face of dangerous individuals."^[1] Kirkus Reviews called the book "a cautionary fable on the banality of belligerence" that suggests that "tantrums bring but temporary, superficial rewards".^[11]