Utsob Roy reviewed Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan
Review of 'Tales from Outer Suburbia' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Simple and Wholesome.
96 pages
Published Oct. 28, 2008 by McClelland & Stewart.
Tales from Outer Suburbia
by Shaun Tan
5 stars
(2 reviews)
From the much-acclaimed creator of The Arrival, The Red Tree and The Lost Thing, fifteen intriguing illustrated stories about the mysteries that lurk below the surface of suburban life.Do you remember the water buffalo at the end of our street?Or the deep-sea diver we found near the underpass?Do you know why dogs bark in the middle of the night?Shaun Tan, creator of The Arrival, The Lost Thing and The Red Tree, reveals the quiet mysteries of everyday life: homemade pets, dangerous weddings, stranded sea mammals, tiny exchange students and secret rooms filled with darkness and delight.
Matthew Royal reviewed Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan
Review of 'Tales from Outer Suburbia' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
This was much better than I was expecting. Should I ever have children, this is one of the books I will read with them. It has an open ended air that cultivates a worship of the mischievous, infinitely varied world we live in. The closest genre I can compare it to is Lovecraft's works of cosmic horror, where reality seems a thin veil for the fantastic and unimaginable. It deals with real psychological themes of abandonment, love in many forms, and the choices we make without thinking.
Here lies no horror or demons, so maybe we'll call Tan's work a volume in cosmic joy.