Chinese / Taiwan
Hao di fang
(Somewhere)
Egretllu (Yu, Xiaolu)
(text/illus.)
Taibei: Da kuai wen hua (Locus Publishing), 2022. – [48] p.
(Series: iMAGE3; if044)
ISBN 978-626-7118-33-7
Dystopia | Loss | Picture book | Remembrance | Climate change | Post-apocalypse
Reading age: 4+
White Ravens issue: 2023
In a surreal, dreamlike scene, a diver explores a magical, soundless space where time stands still – a flooded city where streetlights are still on, cars are stuck in traffic and a pet bowl sits on a living room floor. He passes through submerged industrial ruins and a deforested wasteland over which whales pass by, before emerging onto a tiny remaining island. Pale blue textless pages alternate with pages in smudged yellow, where images depict a dog frantically talking to the silent diver, who obviously cannot perceive him. These are the memories that the sole survivor of a climate disaster has of his beloved pet, which are interwoven with the present reality of a post-apocalyptic world. Egretllu received the Best Book Illustration Award at the 43rd Golden Tripod Awards in 2019 for his graphic novel »Hua shuo Bao Chun jie de za huo dian« (Talking about Sister Bao Chun‘s grocery store in pictures), published under his real name, Xu Minghong. This picture book debut was selected for the 2023 BRAW Amazing Bookshelf. [LO]